Powers-King to Retire from GSA

Just confirmed that Mary Powers-King, director of governmentwide acquisition contracts and Schedule 70 for GSA's Integrated Technology Service will retire shortly after the New Year. Powers-King has 31 years of federal service, including more than 25 years managing IT programs. No successor has been named yet, although her deputy, Jim Ghiloni, is probably near the top of the list.

I spoke with Powers-King this week about the challenges facing GSA's governmentwide acquisition contracts in a market where agencies are increasingly creating their own multiple award vehicles. Whoever succeeds her at ITS will have to work with the new head of the Office of Federal Procurement Policy, Daniel Gordon, to convince agencies that GSA is capable of handling their acquisition needs, which is definitely not an easy task.

We wish Powers-King the best and look forward to finding out who will takeover management of the government's biggest and most visible IT contracts.

Full announcement:

Mary Powers-King, Director of GWACS and IT Schedule Programs in the Integrated Technology Service, GSA's Federal Acquisition Service has announced that she will retire on January 3, 2010 after 31 years of distinguished federal service.

Mary joined GSA in 2007 as the Director of GWACs and IT Schedule Programs in the Integrated Technology Service, which is a major component of GSA's Federal Acquisition Service. Mary has over 25 years of experience managing information technology programs in federal government, local government and private industry. She came to GSA from the U.S. Department of Transportation where she spent most of her career managing a variety of high profile information technology programs. While at DOT she held many management, and executive positions at the Federal Aviation Administration, and just prior to joining GSA she was the Director of Information Technology and Deputy CIO at the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.

At GSA Powers-King led the development and award of some of the government's most crucial information technology contracts including Alliant and Alliant Small Business. Powers-King provided oversight to the transition of the COMMITS contract from Department of Commerce to GSA, and she is currently leading the 8(a)STARS II follow-on procurement which is expected to be awarded next summer. She has also had responsibility for approximately 4,700 IT Schedule 70 contracts that comprised approximately $16.4B in business volume in Fiscal Years 08-09.

Her immediate retirement plans include travel, spending time with family, attending some educational classes and keeping her options open.