GSA Preferred takes budget hit

Funding for an information technology tracking system the General Services Administration decided last month to discontinue would drop from $18 million to $3 million in fiscal 2007 under President Bush's budget request.

The agency chose to drop GSA Preferred after audits revealed that it was not meeting expectations. It must transfer data back to the systems GSA Preferred was meant to replace while keeping the new system operational to prevent any disruptions to service.

Otherwise, the fiscal 2007 budget request keeps funding for the agency's internal IT resources essentially steady compared to the previous two years.

GSA maintains a suite of electronic procurement tools and is in the midst of a reorganization. The budget estimates that the agency's obligations under the Acquisition Services Fund will total $11.7 billion in fiscal 2007, down slightly from the $11.9 billion estimated in fiscal 2006.

The agency's acquisition activities are largely funded through fees that other agencies pay GSA for services, rather than through appropriated funds.

The fiscal 2005 budget was the last one to feature separate acquisition funds for general supplies and IT. Blending the funds and the two services that used them form the cornerstone of the agency’s reorganization.

Among the key IT requests for GSA:

• $2.7 million for Federal Real Property Asset Management. The system, which is under development, will manage and provide data on the buildings and office space GSA maintains and leases for agencies nationwide.


• $4.7 million for the Inventory Reporting Information System. IRIS tracks construction, alteration and repairs to GSA-owned properties.


• $3.4 million for the Electronic Acquisition System. It provides requisition tracking, acquisition planning and other capabilities.


• $30.6 million for GSA Advantage. The e-commerce system allows agencies to order products and supplies online.


• $222.5 million for Enterprise Infrastructure Operations. The project covers the agency's technology infrastructure.


• $10.5 million for the OneGSA enterprise architecture. The funds would support an effort to further blend and consolidate GSA's architecture.