GSA flips FAS sign to 'open'

The Federal Acquisition Service is officially open for business.In what he termed a “historic” event, Jim Williams, commissioner of the refurbished division within the General Services Administration, said the new FAS will redefine how GSA does business.“This is a momentous occasion for GSA, our employees, our federal agency customers and our business partners,” Williams said at a briefing today. “The establishment of FAS will ensure that GSA continues as the premier acquisition agency for the federal government.”Williams made his comments one day after GSA administrator Lurita Doan signed an order formally consolidating the Federal Technology and Federal Supply services into FAS, and the General Supply and IT funds into the Acquisition Services Fund.Doan approved the order after President Bush signed into law approving the plan.The order finalized several changes to the original FAS structure former administrator Stephen Perry initiated .For example, Williams added two new offices—the Office of Strategic Business Planning and Process Improvement and the Office of Assisted Acquisition Services—and revamped some of the existing offices’ missions.The Office of Strategic Business Planning and Process Improvement, headed on an acting basis by Gary Feit, will focus on determining ways to continuously improve the FAS structure to best ensure that it is meeting customer needs, Williams said.The Office of Assisted Acquisition Services, headed by Mary Davie, will complement the programs of the existing Integrated Technology Services division by offering procurement, technical and project management services that assist agencies in acquiring and deploying IT and professional services.The reorganization, though, is far from complete, Williams said. The agency over the next month or so will consider the detailed structure of how the 11 regions will operate within FAS, he said. And a longer-term project will determine whether any changes need to be made to the number of regions or zones, he said.“How do we best serve the customers? The best way to serve them 20 years ago may not be the best way to serve them now,” he said.