[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 136 (Friday, September 27, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Page S11560]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




[[Page S11560]]



                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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  INNOVATIVE CONTRACTING FOR TECHNOLOGY AT THE NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF 
                                 HEALTH

 Mr. COHEN. Mr. President, this morning I rise to commend the 
National Institutes of Health and its leadership for changing the way 
the Government buys technology.
  Earlier this year, the Information Technology Management Reform Act, 
which I authored, became law. ITMRA fundamentally changes the rules 
governing how the Government purchases and uses technology. It 
eliminated overly bureaucratic and cumbersome procedures that resulted 
in the Government's failure to get what it needed and frustrated 
vendors who were unable to provide government with the optimum 
solution. ITMRA sets the stage for Federal agencies to emulate 
successful organizations and break up large computer projects into 
smaller more manageable segments--a strategy that up to now had been 
hindered by a procurement system that encourages large complex 
contracts.
  Despite passage of this major reform, the Government must also 
overcome a culture that arose from the antiquated and cumbersome way of 
doing business. While the full impact of this reform may take a little 
time to be felt, some agencies have seized the opportunity to become 
leaders in innovation consistent with the spirit and intent of the 
legislation. While I have witnessed recent innovations within the 
Department of Defense, General Services Administration and a number of 
other agencies, one effort stands out as exemplifying the spirit behind 
ITMRA and is particularly well developed based on the intent behind 
ITMRA.
  The chief information officers solutions and partners contract at the 
National Institutes of Health is an excellent example of how 
government, under ITMRA, will be able to meet its technology needs in a 
reasonable time frame and obtain optimum solutions. By comprehending 
the possibilities presented by recently enacted procurement reform, NIH 
has provided a contracting vehicle that will allow Federal agencies to 
buy goods and services in a manner that is competitive, easy to use, 
fair and timely.
  Although the ultimate success of this program will depend on NIH's 
ability to properly administer the task orders it receives, the 
innovation demonstrated in the early phases of this procurement 
deserves special mention. In particular, the leadership and hard work 
of two NIH employees, Manny DeVera and Gale Greenwald, deserve special 
attention.
  Both Mr. DeVera and Ms. Greenwald quickly recognized the potential of 
ITMRA and procurement reform, allowing them to award a flexible 
contract in record time. Both the Government customers and the vendor 
community are quite excited about the prospects for obtaining needed 
services in a timely and efficient manner. Government clients will be 
able to obtain the technology, services, and solutions they need under 
ITMRA via competitive task orders. Agencies will not have to bundle 
their requirements into large contracts that take years to award and 
often end in protest and litigation. Under the new law, an agency can 
look to the growing number of multiple award task order contracts or 
the GSA schedule to fulfill information technology requirements. Agency 
chief information officers can then focus on the return on investment 
from information technology rather than on finding ways to overcome 
obstacles in the Federal procurement system.
  Mr. President, while this contract must still prove itself, this 
effort represents a milestone in innovation. The two Federal employees 
most responsible for this innovation, Manny DeVera and Gale Greenwald, 
deserve our thanks and appreciation.

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