DOD: 300,000 jobs possible for outsourcing

The Defense Department will have more than 300,000 jobs listed as potentially available for outsourcing to the private sector in its inventory under review at the Office of Management and Budget this month.

The inventory, required of all agencies under the Federal Activities Inventory Reform (FAIR) Act of 1998, is a list of all DOD functions, ranging from software development to operation of electrical and heating plants, that are not considered "inherently governmental." Last week, OMB announced the availability of 52 agencies' inventories, and the rest, including DOD's 2,000-plus page report, will be made available by the end of this month.

Stan Soloway, DOD's deputy undersecretary for acquisition reform, said yesterday at the Industry Advisory Council's Executive Leadership Conference in Richmond, Va., that the number of jobs identified as potentially commercial at DOD is actually almost 500,000. But he said many are exempt because they are military positions or are at maintenance depots.

Soloway said the FAIR Act effort continues the work of the Defense Reform Initiative's plans to have 180,000 jobs outsourced by 2004.

"Over the next several years, we have a firm commitment—and have laid into the budget—the savings expected from that 180,000," he said.