GSA’s Federal Acquisition Service Commissioner Announces Departure

Alan Thomas, who has headed the General Services Administration’s Federal Acquisition Service since June 2017, announced Wednesday that he’s leaving the agency for a position in the private sector.

“For me, the endgame was always to build on the strong foundation I inherited and leave FAS better than when I arrived,” Thomas said in an email to staff Wednesday morning, touting improvements in leadership, tools the agency uses to do business and FAS’ current financial strength.

“You’ve heard me say many times that if we take care of our people, you will take care of our customers, and the results will follow. This proved to be a winning formula,” Thomas said. “We did all this together, acting as an enterprise and remaining consistent with my core values of honesty, courage, graciousness, and respect.”

In a subsequent email to staff sent later Wednesday, GSA Administrator Emily Murphy highlighted some of Thomas’ milestones and accomplishments. Thomas, she wrote, was able to lead FAS to break-even one year earlier than expected—generating $70 million in the process—and oversaw both the consolation of the multiple award schedules and the early implementation of GSA’s commercial e-commerce platforms program.

“These initiatives have provided a solid foundation for significant, positive change in the federal procurement space, and are just a few of the successes achieved during the past two years,” Murphy said.

Murphy also announced GSA Senior Advisor Julie Dunne will replace Thomas in acting capacity on Oct. 15. Dunne joined GSA in May, having previously served as staff director of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee and senior counsel on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. Before working for Congress, Dunne was a government contracts attorney and served in legal positions at the Homeland Security and Commerce departments. 

Federal News Network first reported the news.