FAA undertakes acquisition reforms

The Federal Aviation Administration recently implemented procurement reforms aimed at stemming mismanagement of services contracts. Under the new acquisition procedures, outlined by Administrator Marion Blakey earlier this month in an internal memorandum to FAA managers, contracting officials no longer are permitted to award support service contracts worth $1 million or more on a sole-source basis unless they receive permission from the agency's deputy administrator. The FAA's chief financial officer must approve requests to buy services worth more than $10 million, and program and contracting officers must undergo "mandatory, in-depth" training on procurement integrity.