Urging Doan to play nice

GSA Administrator Lurita Doan is known to have a bit of a temper. Actually, perhaps temper is unfair. GSA folks will let me know. She is just not very...tempured. How's that? And it is very un-Washington. She actually says what she thinks.

And Doan made a big push to get NASA's popular SEWP contract under the GSA tent. (We heard that she was not pleased with FCW's editorial on this subject, and particularly unhappy with the editorial cartoon that accompanied that editorial. Both can be found here. She was also not pleased with FCW's story about GSA being one of the largest users of the SEWP contact.)

Of course, this week, OFPP Administrator Paul Denett decided that SEWP should stay with NASA.

We had been hearing that Doan got a bit of a slap for making this debate public. In his message to Doan, Denett said:

Lurita, we believe that authorizing NASA to continue with SEWP IV is in the best interest of government procurement and for the taxpayer. Attached is a one pager with the basis for our designating NASWA as an executive agent for SEWP IV. As I explained in our phone conversation I am a strong supporter of the leadership and work you are doing with the various schedules, GWACs, creation of FAS and strategic sourcing. Keep up the great work in these areas and we all will benefit. I know you don't agree with us on SEWP IV but hope you can focus on the numerous positive things we agree on and avoid unnecessary discordant publicity on this matter. I will remain a strong proponent of GSA and the vital mission acquisition support you provide all agencies.
Paul