GSA's Suda moves to Agriculture

Robert Suda is leaving his post as the assistant commissioner for information technology solutions at the General Services Administration's Federal Technology Service (FTS) to take a position at the Agriculture Department.

Suda, who has worked at FTS for six years, will become the associate chief information officer for integration and operations, a new position at Agriculture. He will manage three organizations within the chief information officer's office: the National Information Technology Center in Kansas City, Mo., the Information Technology Services office and the Telecommunications Services office. Suda will report to USDA CIO David Combs.

Suda's departure comes at a disruptive time at GSA, which has just delayed the award of its huge Networx network services contract for a full year. The planned contract is intended to replace FTS 2001. GSA plans for Networx to be a 10-year, multiple-award contract that could be worth as much as $20 billion.

GSA is also creating a new organization called the Federal Acquisition Service by merging FTS and the Federal Supply Service.

"I think he's ready for a change; he's been doing this for a while," said Bob Woods, a former FTS commissioner who now is president of Topside Consulting, speaking of Suda. "I think he's influenced by the fact the reorganization is taking longer than expected, and the question is, 'When will it be over?' "