Daniels to deliver A-76 revision

Mitchell Daniels Jr., director of the Office of Management and Budget, plans to release the rewrite of Circular A-76 before he leaves his post early next month, according to an OMB official.

Circular A-76 outlines how the public and private sectors should compete to perform commercial functions for government.

In November, OMB asked for public comment on proposed revisions to A-76, many of which have been incorporated into the revised version, said Jack Kalavritinos, associate administrator for competitive sourcing at OMB's Office of Federal Procurement Policy.

"You'll see that we listened" to the feedback, Kalavritinos said, speaking May 20 at the National Academy of Public Administration's Performance Conference in Washington, D.C.

The rewrite aims to fix problems with A-76 raised by those that use it, including complaints that competition takes too long, there's not enough accountability and the process doesn't take into account best values, Kalavritinos said.

The final rule will set specific timeframes so competitions will not take three or four years to complete, he said. It also will address conflict-of-interest issues and will integrate the Federal Acquisition Regulation.

Despite the pain associated with competitive sourcing, agencies are making good progress, Kalavritinos said, including civilian agencies such as the Federal Aviation Administration, the Energy Department and the National Institutes of Health. "It's not just" the Defense Department any more, he said.

Kalavritinos said he'd be surprised if Daniels doesn't release the rewrite before he leaves next month. "It's a matter of days and weeks vs. months."