Denett to be named OFPP director

Paul Denett, a veteran of government and industry procurement positions, is President Bush's intended nominee to head the Office of Federal Procurement Policy, according to government and industry sources. An official announcement is expected shortly.

Denett worked at the Agriculture Department, then moved to the Treasury Department, where he directed the Office of Procurement. In 1993, he was director of administration and the senior procurement executive at the Interior Department, according to a biography posted on a government Web site dedicated to the Javits-Wagner-O'Day Program, which Denett supported.

More recently, he has served as vice president of contracting programs at ESI International, an Arlington, Va.-based company that provides training in contract management, project management and business analysis training.

“He’s a good guy, well-qualified, very ethical," said Bill Gormley, president and chief executive officer of the Washington Management Group. "He has a well-rounded procurement background.”

Denett has more than 30 years’ experience in acquisition and procurement matters, from the government and industry perspectives, Gormley said.

“I think it’s a great decision by the administration to pick somebody with the background and credentials that he has," Gormley said. "He’s been around for a long time. He’s clearly somebody who knows the acquisition corridors in government. He knows what it takes to do competitive sourcing," one of the administration's priorities.

If confirmed, Denett would succeed David Safavian, who was arrested in September 2005 and indicted on multiple counts of lying to investigators about his relationship with lobbyist Jack Abramoff.