FTS begins to certify project managers
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The General Services Administration's Federal Technology Service plans to have about 10 percent of its project managers certified by the Project Management Institute by the end of September.<br>
The General Services Administration's Federal Technology Service plans to have about 10 percent of its project managers certified by the Project Management Institute by the end of September.FTS commissioner Sandy Bates said 75 project managers have finished PMI's course work, and another 50 will do so in the next five months. This is the first step in GSA's plans to certify all of its program and project managers.'This has been important to the Defense Department and NASA, and we want to be the third one in the trio,' Bates said today at a breakfast hosted by Federal Sources Inc., a McLean, Va., market research firm. The certification will be another benefit to agencies that hire GSA to provide procurement functions, said Charlie Self, deputy commissioner of FTS.On May 1, GSA also will begin offering procurement support to agencies through the Federal Supply Service's professional services schedules such as the Professional Engineering; Management, Organizational, Business Improvement Services; and Logistics World multiple award contracts.'FTS will be able to do all the up-front and back-end work of a contract for agencies,' Self said. 'Originally, we only could do it with the IT schedule.'Bates said agencies are 'lining up at the door' to have GSA help them administer contracts through the services schedules.'We expect it to take off like the IT schedule,' Bates said. 'We will start with these three and then move into other areas in time after we evaluate the process.'Bates also said the recently awarded Connections contract for network services is off to a quick start. She said two agencies, which she declined to name, that had never before bought these services from GSA have issued task orders through the contract.The new governmentwide acquisition contract for firms in the Historically Underutilized Business Zone program kicks off next week in GSA's Region 6, which includes Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska, Bates said. It will be expanded to other GSA regions over the next few months, Self said.(Updated 4:35 p.m. April 24, 2003)
Sandy Bates
GCN
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