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REINVENTION EXPRESS

December 18, 1996 Vol. 2, No. 22

An Information Sheet for Federal Communicators, Managers, Workers, and Their Partners--Pass It On

Ten Changes to the Federal Supply Schedule That Make Federal Procurement Easier and Cheaper

Federal customers talked, the National Performance Review talked, contractors talked, and the General Services Administration listened. GSA now offers a new, improved Federal Supply Schedule. Here are the top ten changes.

You may now pick a Federal Supply Schedule contractor of your choice if your order is under $2,500. GSA has competed everything and determined fair prices.
You no longer need to supply a synopsis to the Commerce Business Daily for information technology requirements that are more than $50,000.
You can buy off the schedule without a waiver if schedule contractors cannot meet your needs.
You can select goods and services based on best value," not lowest price (on or off the schedule).
You no longer need to supply justifications/documentation for your purchases to GSA.
You can use the schedules for any size order. Maximum Order Limitations have been removed from 80% of the Federal Supply Schedules. Maximum Order Limitations will be removed from all schedules by 11/97.
GSA strongly encourages you to use Blanket Purchase Agreements (BPAs). A new suggested BPA format is available on a new Web site (see address below).
Federal Supply Schedule contractors can form "teams" to meet your needs.
You can seek and contractors can give "spot reductions" to individual agencies without passing it on to the entire government under a schedule order. You are strongly encouraged to seek reductions when orders are above the new maximum order threshold.
Schedule contractors can now expedite delivery.

For more information check out the new Federal Supply Schedule Program Web site at http://pub.fss.gsa.gov/sched/. Contact GailL.Hauswirth@gsa.gov or call (703)305-6566.

Interagency Benchmarking and Best Practices Council Wins Hammer Award

A self-initiated, self-managed team of federal employees from five agencies received the Vice President's Hammer Award on December 16 for setting up and guiding the work of the Interagency Benchmarking and Best Practices Council this year. The five charter agencies are Energy, Veterans Affairs, IRS, Transportation, and the Patent and Trademark Office.

The Council, which operates under the auspices of the Department of Energy, works to leverage government benchmarking capabilities, reduce duplication of effort, and develop common definitions and approaches. It sponsored the federal government's first benchmarking conference and set up a web site (http://www.va.gov/fedsbest/index.htm) with the cooperation of the Department of Veterans Affairs. It also established partnerships with the National Performance Review, the International Benchmarking Clearinghouse, the Strategic Planning Institute, Germany's Informationszentrum, and Canada's Innovation and Quality Exchange.

The award was presented at a Council member's retirement luncheon--a first for a Hammer presentation. Delores Livingston, with 34 years of federal service, was the Council's guiding pioneer. She thanked Jay Cavanagh, her team leader at Energy, for giving her the opportunity "not only to fly but to soar in my last year of government service."

For more information, contact James J. Cavanagh at james.cavanagh@hq.doe.gov or (202) 586-8257. For information about NPR's Benchmarking Consortium, which expects to publish new studies in early 1997, contact Wilett Bunton at wilett.bunton@npr.gsa.gov or (202) 632-0367.

Defense Acquisition Deskbook Is Online

The Department of Defense put its first automated reference tool for acquisition personnel online. The Defense Acquisition Deskbook is on the Web at http://deskbook.osd.mil/deskbook.html. It contains mandatory policy, discretionary practices, and lessons learned. The Deskbook is also a quarterly CD-ROM release, but the Web site allows users to preview new policies and practices and make comments to acquisition leaders. For more information, call (513) 255-0423.

Deadline for Information Technology Proposals Is January 17

The Government Information Technology Services Board and the Interagency Management Council are sponsoring a pilot program to provide seed money for innovative, multi-agency projects. The call for proposals is posted on the NPR Web site at http://www.npr.gov. Click on "Initiatives," then "Information Technology." For more information, contact Karen Freeman at (202) 632-0408 or karen.freeman@npr.gsa.gov.

Hold April 7-9, 1997 for the 2nd Annual Reinvention Revolution Conference. Check the Web: http://www.govexec.com/reinvent/rrc/index.htm.

National Performance Review, 750-17th St., NW, Suite 200, Washington, DC 20006 To subscribe to Reinvention Express by e-mail, send an e-mail message to: Listproc@etc.fed.gov put this message: SUBSCRIBE EXPRESS-L FIRSTNAME LASTNAME. (Put three spaces: after the word "SUBSCRIBE," after "EXPRESS-L," and after your FIRSTNAME.) For fax , send your name, organization, fax and phone number to Pat Wood, FAX (202) 632-0390, phone (202) 632-0223, or e-mail: pat.wood@npr.gsa.gov. The Express is on NPR's web site at http://www.npr.gov. Click on "News Room."