GSA names acquisition chief

The General Services Administration has created a chief acquisition officer position within its executive management structure to oversee acquisition activities. GSA Administrator Stephen Perry today named Karl Reichelt, GSA's chief of staff, to be the agency's first chief acquisition officer.

"Establishing the office at the highest level in our organization reflects the importance of our acquisition responsibilities, which truly are at the heart of GSA's core mission," Perry said in a written statement.

The new Office of the Chief Acquisition Officer will be responsible for ensuring compliance with laws and regulations, fostering full and open competition for contract awards, developing the acquisition workforce and bringing accountability to acquisition decision-making. The Services Acquisition Reform Act, which became law in 2003, requires most agencies to establish such an office.

Reichelt was named chief of staff in January, after serving two years as regional administrator for the agency's Northeast and Caribbean Region.