Dan Tangherlini

GSA Acting Administrator Dan Tangherlini said Wednesday that the “supply” agency is working with other agencies to plan for possible sequestration budget reductions since that would mean cutting back on everything from supplies to real estate.

“Our planning is really responsive to the agencies we serve and to get a better sense of how they are thinking about it,” Tangherlini told reporters following a speech at George Washington University. “One of the things we are trying to do is establish a continual framework of communication and see if there are ways we can help [other agencies] manage their way through it.” Keep reading →


While government insiders applauded the General Services Administration’s move to cut back contracting schedules to save $24 million, some caution against what could become a “slippery slope.”

GSA said it will stop adding new contractors to schedules – the shopping catalog for the government to get bargains and discounts – as the first step toward streamlining its contract offerings. After a year, officials will review the schedules to see if there is still demand for them. GSA plans to eliminate contract agreements that are rarely or never used. Keep reading →


The first congressional hearing into the GSA’s Las Vegas conference scandal revealed investigations into possible bribes and kickbacks and that the agency is forcing two employees to pay the government for private parties they held. And, as Monday’s hearing began, GSA employees were informed that all non-essential travel was suspended.

GSA officials testified at the House Committee on Oversight & Government Reform in the first of four hearings this week on Capitol Hill into the scandal over the $823,000 four-day retreat for 300 employees in 2010. Keep reading →

General Services Administration officials used the pretense of fake awards programs as a way around federal travel expense rules in order to hold dinner events at taxpayers’ expense, according to a report today by Roll Call, citing an interview transcript it had obtained.

The transcript of the interviews, conducted by GSA’s Office of Inspector General, show that the problem of abusive spending practices may run deeper than first reported when GSA’s inspector general released a critical April 2 report that the agency spent almost $823,000 on an October 2010 Las Vegas conference for about 300 people. Keep reading →