Doan lays out her goals as GSA administrator

Lurita Doan, on her fourth day as administrator of the General Services Administration, told a standing-room-only audience today that under her leadership, businesses would be able to earn a spot on a basic GSA schedule within 30 days.

"It is going to take a little work and a little time, but we are going to meet our goal," she told the Coalition for Government Procurement’s Spring Conference in McLean, Va.

Doan is wasting no time in her new role.

“‘Carpe momenta,’ because I don’t have much time,” she said. President Bush’s administration ends in 30 months.

“I know GSA has some challenges,” she said. “It’s not all rosy pictures.”

But GSA can solve those problems, she said, adding that she is not afraid of change.

In her 19-minute keynote address, she reiterated her goals of making GSA a good place to work, recruiting young people for the agency and speaking on behalf of the agency to build a business case for customers.

She also intends to use best practices in government contracting to make GSA faster and more efficient. To do that, she said, she believes in building an objective case, through quantitative metrics, to show improvements.

Doan also handed the coalition a task. She asked Larry Allen, its executive vice president, to form a working group and bring her ideas on how to improve GSA. And she wants it in 30 days.

"I need every good idea I can get," Doan said. She has issued similar assurances at other venues.