Styles leaving procurement office

Angela Styles, the controversial yet forceful administrator of the Office of Management and Budget's Office of Federal Procurement Policy, will leave that post Sept. 15, a spokeswoman for OMB confirmed.

Styles, an attorney, is going to return to private practice, the spokeswoman said.

The White House is currently seeking a replacement. Styles' deputy, Rob Burton, will serve as acting OFPP administrator until a candidate can be confirmed.

Styles is the latest person to leave a senior OMB post. Earlier today, Norm Lorentz, OMB's chief technology officer, announced he was taking a job in the private sector. Last month, Mark Forman left his post as administrator for the agency's Office of E-Government and Information Technology.

Styles has been a controversial figure in her post. She has been the administration's point person on its competitive sourcing initiatives, which seek to put more federal jobs up to competition.

Critics have lambasted the administration's efforts as anti-worker.

In recent weeks, the Bush administration has backed off some of the more controversial provisions of its outsourcing proposals. For example, officials decided to remove requirements that agencies outsource a certain percentage of jobs.