Josh Ladick – President of GSA Focus, Inc.: For decades the GSA has served the federal government and tax payers alike. The value that the General Services Administration brings to federal acquisition practices is unparalleled, and as a whole this agency is among the leanest and most entrepreneurial and visionary. This lapse is a big problem for the time being, but only for those individuals involved in the discretionary. The GSA is a permanent fixture in government, and there should be no fears of this agency halting their progress in the improvement of government buying.

I know many GSA employees very well, and the majority are extremely dedicated and competent workers. This episode will stand to improve the agency as a whole as the pendulum swings back towards accountability. My hope is that the acquisition times will improve greatly in the coming years, and the GSA will become proactive in enacting the programs inherited by the executive and legislative branches. Unfortunately, as Martha Johnson said in her Congressional Statement, there seems to have grown a culture of reaction to congress and presidential mandates that have bogged down and frustrated many high-level GSA officials.

In a recent conference I attended, I saw first hand how many human resources are being poured into the whimsical green initiatives the Obama administration has forced upon the GSA. This redirection of focus has had a devastating impact on the one-time efficiently ran GSA I knew 2 or 3 years ago. I believe that this will shake-up the organization, and those that do follow the GSA closely will see many improvements in the coming months and years.