Washington Post: GAO report on outsourcing projects at the US Forest Service

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/21/AR2008022102831.html

By Stephen Barr
Friday, February 22, 2008; Page D04

The Government Accountability Office faulted outsourcing projects at the Forest Service in a report released yesterday, prompting renewed calls for more scrutiny of the Bush administration's effort to contract out federal jobs, a plan known as competitive sourcing.

The Forest Service does not have a realistic long-term plan for determining which agency jobs should be given to the private sector and does not have reliable data to back up claims of cost savings, the GAO said.


Forest Service outsourcing plans, criticized by yesterday's GAO report, could put nearly two-thirds of the agency's workforce into job competitions with the private sector. (By Bryan Kelsen -- Associated Press)


In addition, outsourcing substantial numbers of Forest Service jobs to the private sector could, over time, reduce the agency's ability to fight fires in the wilderness and to respond to emergencies such as Hurricane Katrina.

"Congress needs to take a long, hard look at the administration's competitive sourcing agenda after such a damning report," Sen. Russell Feingold (D-Wis.) said. He released the report with Sen. Herb Kohl (D-Wis.), who said the administration "played fast and free with the facts in providing a different picture than the reality."

As a general rule, federal agencies are supposed to rely on the private sector to perform work that can be easily obtained in the commercial marketplace, such as computer maintenance and cafeteria services. In 2001, the Bush administration began urging agencies to put more civil service jobs up for bid by contractors as a way to lower or better manage costs.

Federal unions have lobbied on Capitol Hill to stop such outsourcing, and a number of annual appropriations bills, including one that covers the Forest Service, have restricted the practice.

FULL story at link.

[Bandit]

1. One thing has been proved time and time again, The Bush* Administration

has absolutely no regard for the Security of the USA. ZERO...All that is on their agenda is making money...

[Quantess]

2. K & R

Thanks for posting this.