FOR four months, the General Services Agency (GSA), in the Department of Administration, has failed to render a decision on protests filed by telecommunications providers of award decisions made by GSA in respect to the government's telecommunication procurement.
I am speaking of the protest filed by Pacific Data Systems on May 9, 2012, and protests of the same award decisions filed by DOCOMO Pacific, MCV and IT&E on May 10, 2012. At last report, GSA's "procurement counsel" was working on these protests.
GSA's failure to act on these protests is egregious given the significant cost savings and additional benefits the government would realize as a result of the implementation of the telecommunications services included in this procurement. It has been independently estimated that the government will save more than $1 million a year in telecommunication expenditures through expanded services and reduced cost included in this procurement.
This is only the latest in a string of failures at GSA. It begs the question: How long will Gov. Edward "Pepsi" Calvo tolerate the situation at GSA?
Using his Organic Act powers of reorganization, Pepsi could and should transfer GSA from the Department of Administration to the Attorney General's Office. The current positions of chief procurement officer and procurement counsel could and should be abolished, and the four attorneys at the AGO now assigned to procurement matters could be the nucleus of a new division of the AGO which would also be comprised of the current staff of GSA – minus the chief procurement officer, procurement counsel, and other redundant positions at GSA. This would save $193,714.23 per year, the cost of the salaries with benefits of the chief procurement officer and procurement counsel. The Solicitor Division of the AGO could draft the legislation and regulations needed to fully implement in law this reorganization.
Joe Guthrie,?
Guam and the Philippines
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Letter to the Editor 
Transfer GSA to Attorney General’s Office
Transfer GSA to Attorney General’s Office
Transfer GSA to Attorney General’s Office
- Tuesday, 11 Sep 2012 03:30am
- LETTER TO THE EDITOR
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