Davis to head Government Reform

Rep. Tom Davis, (R-Va.) was named chairman of the House Government Reform Committee late on Jan. 8, a powerful position that will give him a chance to push for procurement reform and make high-tech issues a top priority.

In a statement, Davis pledged to eliminate waste and ineffective, redundant government programs. He promised to provide tough oversight that would result in enhancing the "efficiency of government programs, and, in turn, savings for the taxpayer."

And he said he planned to build on the legacy of the reform measures that were passed during his chairmanship of the House Government Reform Committee's Technology and Procurement Policy Subcommittee.

"We need to create a performance-oriented civil service structure so that talented, committed Americans are drawn to public service and remain here," Davis said in a statement.

"We need to closely monitor large-dollar federal contracts to make sure we're getting what we want, how we want it, and maximizing the taxpayers' dollar. We need to tear down the stovepipe structures that have characterized government technology systems to improve cross-agency communication and lower costs," he said.

The high-tech community applauded Davis's new role and said it would enhance opportunities to make real change in procurement regulations that govern how the federal government makes billions of dollars in purchases a year.

"He really wants to push the agenda forward, and now he'll have so many more resources," said Olga Grkavac, executive vice president of the Enterprise Solutions Division of the Information Technology Association of America.