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GSA Planning Overhaul of Federal Acquisition Spending Landscape

The General Services Administration (GSA) and the other six largest and highest-spending agencies, known as the Strategic Sourcing Leadership Council, met last month to decide on an overhaul to the current federal acquisition spending landscape.  As part of the Obama administration’s initiative to simplify the federal acquisition process, agency purchases have been sorted and categorized into related groupings to provide a more transparent view of the fragmented federal spending landscape.  This process of “category management” is expected to streamline the current process and ultimately lead to greater savings for agencies and taxpayers.

To meet this goal, GSA is in the process of developing a brand new web portal, called the “Common Acquisition Platform.”  It is expected to serve as a single access point information hub for agencies who wish to buy goods or services from each category.  Once up and running, it is expected to present product options, offer digital services, provide helpful advice and information, and list existing contract vehicles.  Additionally, the portal is expected to increase savings and aid in making more informed expenditures.

A Look at Recent Federal Agency Expenditures 

In a recent blog posting by Anne Rung, the White House’s Federal Procurement Policy Office Administrator, and Tom Sharpe, the Federal Acquisition Service Commissioner, they detailed what the top 10 categories where federal agencies spend the most money might look like.  For fiscal year 2013, the greatest spenders were as follows:

  • Facilities and Construction: $72.1B
  • Professional Services: $64.4B
  • Information Technology: $47.4B
  • Transportation and Logistics Services: $34.1B
  • Medical: $33.2B
  • Industrial Products and Services: $11.8B
  • Security and Protection: $4.8B
  • Human Capital: $3.6B
  • Travel and Lodging: $3.6B
  • Office Management: $2.1B

About BH Sky

BH Sky Associates, based in Princeton, New Jersey, and Washington, D.C., helps clients identify, negotiate, secure, market and manage procurement opportunities and contracts at federal, state, and local levels of government.  It is New Jersey’s only company specializing in GSA/VA Schedule Contracts and Government Market Intelligence.  BH Sky offers professional consulting services to small and mid-size companies in a wide range of industries seeking to do business with the government.  For more information, view our videos or contact us directly by phone 866.468.7420 or email.