Bush to Allow Private Sector Bids (Wait until you hear Federal Unions SCREAM!)

Associated Press AOL Update Email | 14 Nov 2002 | R. Fournier

[PhiKapMom]

Bush to Allow Private Sector Bids

By RON FOURNIER
The Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) - President Bush plans to subject as many as 850,000 federal jobs to competition from the private sector, administration officials said Thursday, a sweeping reform long sought by Republicans and stiffly opposed by labor unions.

Nearly half of the government's civilian work force could be affected by the plan to be published in the Federal Register on Friday. After a 30-day public review period, Bush can impose the new rules without congressional approval.

``This is inherent to getting the taxpayers the best deal for their dollars and the best service from the government,'' said Trent Duffy, spokesman for the Office of Management and Budget.

Bush and his fellow Republicans have long favored opening public sector jobs to competition from outside government. They argue that competitive bidding will force government bureaucracies to improve service and lower costs - or lose business to the private sector.

Public employee unions are expected to fight the proposal, which could cost their rank and file jobs.

The proposal comes at the heels of last week's GOP victories in congressional elections ,which emboldened Bush and his agenda. The White House is poised to beat back union opposition to another administration initiative, this one in Congress: the creation of the Homeland Security Department.

Current federal rules allow for public-private competition, administration officials say, but the regulations are so cumbersome that private firms are often reluctant to seek government contracts.

Under the plan, ``commercial activities'' conducted by the government - from lawn mowing to hanging drywall and secretarial work - will be open to competition. There are 850,000 such jobs in the federal work force; Bush has set a goal of putting 50 percent of those jobs up for grabs in the first stage of the plan, officials said, with the intention of eventually opening the total 850,000 to competition.

Traditional high-ranking government positions would not be subject to the proposal, according to administration officials who outlined the proposal.

One reform would encourage agencies to complete competitive bid reviews within a year. Under current rules, the competitive bid process can take four years - a delay that scares off private sector bids, officials said.

Rules under which the government buys goods and services will be streamlined to allow for more competitive bidding, officials said.

The Government Accounting Office has determined that public-private competition will save taxpayers 30 percent on each contract.

Expecting opposition from public employees unions, administration officials argue that the initiative would encourage unions to compete and win contracts; it does not mandate that the private sector takeover the jobs.

Bush picked this new fight with federal unions one day after it became clear that he had won another battle with them. With Republicans ready to take full control of Congress, Democrats were largely abandoning their demands for union protections at the new Department of Homeland Security.

The House easily passed a bill that would establish the department on Wednesday, and the Senate was ready to follow suit.

11/14/02 12:58 EST

[PhiKapMom]

In Air Force Materiel Command the large depot contracts are already competed with a mix of Civil Service/Contractor personnel. For the Engines, Tinker won the contract with Lockheed Martin on the old Kelly SA-ALC workload!

Will get source for article as soon as it is on line!

[anniegetyourgun]

The good news just keeps rollin' in.....

[PhiKapMom]

The new title for this article by Fournier is "Bush Puts 850,000 Federal Jobs up for Private Sector Bids"! Guess other title wasn't good enough!

Here is the link:

http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGAXWINYI8D.html

[Blood of Tyrants]

First Pelosi is confirmed as the leader of the Rats, then the Senate Judiciary committee approves a couple of Bush's nominees, and now this.

It just keeps getting better and better. I think I'll just sit here with a stupid grin on my face for a while:^)

[PhiKapMom]

That is exactly what I thought too!

[dyed_in_the_wool]

Just wait until they start working the budget like a Corporation. Line-item should make a TON of pork sizzle away.

[End The Hypocrisy]

Yes!!! The tax-leeching bureaucrats are perhaps this country's BIGGEST problem, as is documented at:

http://www.spaceprojects.com/bureaucrats

[PhiKapMom]

Getting better and better! Can just hear Pelosi and Daschle -- best news is that he doesn't need their approval!

This works well in AFMC -- workload has improved since they are on contract. No more complacent civilians as they know their contract is tied to performance. The joint civilian/contractor mix seems to be working out from everything I have seen here at Tinker AFB. At least it is a lot better than when it was all Civil Service and they didn't worry about keeping their jobs!

[Dog Gone]

Wonderful news! This is how we get cost savings and more productivity.

[PhiKapMom]

And Senator Don Nickles of Oklahoma is the new head of the Senate Budget Committee! If there is one person in the Senate that will do a good job of cutting pork it is Senator Nickles.

Lott wouldn't take him to the last budget deal with clinton even though he should have been there. Sen Nickles and my other Senator Inhofe both voted against the budget deal!

[PhiKapMom]

No kidding -- the space agency makes DoD look better and that is hard to do!

[NittanyLion]

Nice... If he keeps this up, Bush will surely begin making believers out of his skeptics. And make his base pretty darn happy.

[DoughtyOne]

Sacred cow gets mad cow disease. Film at eleven.

Yeah Hillary, take that witch. Up to 850,000 votes... GONE!

[PhiKapMom]

Couldn't agree with you more! This is something that would never have gotten done unless we took control of the Senate and kept the House.

Heard this was on the drawing board for implementation some months back but was useless to send to the Senate.

Wonder what else we are going to be seeing?

[bvw]

Hmmm ... do you know what a Section 8 is? It is one of many forms of corruption in the "competitive bidding" system. In addition to the pain and agony of section eight and all the paperwork and bonding needed know that bids are often written in such a way that the CO or other Federal pensionaire can kick anyone he/she's not "happy wirh" dead, should they *magically* happen to win the bid.

I hope this isn't the "Help Put a Federal CO's Kid through an Ivy League College and Provide a Summer Home at a Decent Resort" Act. When white male owned small companies start getting a good number of these jobs, let me know. Then I'll raise a toast.

[dead]

Sweet!

Nice job Bush. Just don't back down in the oncoming assault over this.

[PhiKapMom]

LOL!!!!!!!! I love it! Cannot wait until we get her take on this one!

She (clinton) already yelled at Senator Nickles on the floor of the Senate. Just wait until he heads the Budget Committee -- he might give her a heart attack!

[DoughtyOne]

I doubt this is the same union, but AFL-C... ya later!

[taildragger]

DOg GOne after this he has three more things to do. Enforce the Beck Decision, Enforce the Beck Decision, and Enforce the Beck Decision.

[RichGuy]

I worked as a contractor at Kirtland AFB for a couple of years before a recent move. The incentive clauses available to government contracting agencies can be used to work miracles via contract. We were an incentive fee type contract. Our performance exceeded all contract requirements within three months of starting the contract.

The only problem the government has when they contract a function is that it still takes them several years to get rid of the folks who used to do the job.