Sun Sets At GSA
The decision by Sun Microsystems to cancel its contract to provide software and services to federal agencies through the GSA echoes through the government's leading procurement operation as an embarrassment of sorts.
Naturally, that means reckoning what if any political pressures were brought to bear on Sun to bail out.
To those who missed it, Sun said it was exercizing its right to end its deal to sell products and services through a GSA schedule at preapproved prices. The announcement came after months of questions about whether Sun has overcharged taxpayers for its services, an allegation made by auditors and some contracting officials that GSA leaders deny.
In a GovernmentExecutive article headlined "GSA: Politics to blame for collapse of Sun contract," GSA Administrator Lurita Alexis Doan suggested she was blaming Congress. That could mean Republican Charles Grassley, who was the first to raise questions about Sun's arrangement last fall, or Democrat Henry Waxman, who unearthed details about how Sun's most recent contract came about last year.
In any case, Doan combined both edge and a soft touch with this: "This experience has convinced me that we need to do a better job of helping Congress understand how our contracts work, the roles and responsibilities of our professional contracting officers, and what steps we take to ensure that American taxpayers get the best deal for their investment."
Federal Computer Week noted that the impact may be blunted by the fact that Sun will be able to sell through resellers.
As much as GSA folks want to know what exactly happend and why, they're also trying to make sure that agency customers that need and want Sun products know how to get them. To that end, GSA officials have been sending this note out to agency customers:
"Sun Microsystems Federal (SUN) has elected to excercise the cancellation clause of Contract No. GS-35F-0702J under General Services Administration (GSA) Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) contract Group 70. The effective date of cancellation is October 12, 2007.
GSA and SUN have set the stage for an orderly cancellation and seek to minimize any potential disruption to our customers agencies. In accordance with the Scope of the Contract clause, SUN is obligated to accept all valid orders placed under their MAS contract on or before October 12, 2007. However, GSA customers cannot place MAS orders nor exercise options under current SUN MAS orders after October 12, 2007.
Certain SUN products and services are still available through other MAS contractors listed on GSA Advantage!®. There are also other MAS contractors that provide workstations, servers, peripherals, software and related services that are similar to products offered directly by SUN. If you require assistance identifying these contractors, please contact the Information Technology Acquisition Center's customer service line."
By Robert O'Harrow |
September 19, 2007; 5:05 AM ET
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Posted by: AndreaC | September 19, 2007 3:05 PM
GOOD RIDANCE! Another sweet deal for somebody else eh? How on earth has Doan been allowed to retain her position?
There's not ooe agency NOT corrupted by money and power. Not one. Where is the out cry?
Posted by: Nancy | September 24, 2007 1:10 PM
There's more money donated to Tom Davis then that amount above, too. According to the Post, Sun hired WMG (Washington Management Group) and they paid more to Tom Davis and when they hit the federal limits, they also paid his wife.
Also, the reason Doan keeps her job is because Davis is defending her, and not the federal employees she says are lying lazy employees with bad evaluations. She lied. The complaining employees have excellent evaluations. Why doesn't Davis defend them?
More on Davis
More on Doan
WASHINGTON MANAGEMENT GROUP, Tom Davis, $1,750 of $11,200.00 Total Contributions
ALLEN, EDWARD L. MR. JR. ARLINGTON, VA 22207
WMG/ASSOC
DAVIS, THOMAS M III VIA TOM DAVIS FOR CONGRESS
06/16/2004 $500.00 24961800258
01/27/2006 $500.00 26940071388
CAGGIANO, PAUL J BETHESDA, MD 20814
WMP President
DAVIS, THOMAS M III VIA TOM DAVIS FOR CONGRESS
09/26/2000 $250.00 20036182097
DAVIS, THOMAS M III VIA TOM DAVIS FOR CONGRESS
12/15/2001 $500.00 22990118509
HARTWELL, STEPHEN MOUNT VERNON, VA 22121
WMG Principal
NATIONAL REPUBLICAN SENATORIAL COMMITTEE
02/14/2003 $7500.00 23020140686
10/28/2004 $200.00 24021041394
FAIRFAX COUNTY REPUBLICAN COMMITTEE (FEDERAL)
07/22/2004 $1,000.00 24962200931
This is a favorite Committee for Tom Davis; he has donated $58,000 from Tom Davis for Congress to this Committee. Other than James Hyland, Davis's wife Jeannemarie Devolites has received the most donations for an individual candidate from this Committee at almost $5,000.
HARTWELL, STEPHEN WASHINGTON, DC 20005
WMG/CHAIR
KYL, JON VIA JON KYL FOR U S SENATE
02/13/2006 $500.00 26020230294
SISTI, THOMAS KENSINGTON, MD 11570
WMG
FLYNN, JOHN THOMAS VIA JOHN THOMAS FLYNN FOR CONGRESS 03/01/2005 $250.00 25038771089
Posted by: AndreaC | September 29, 2007 11:41 PM
The comments to this entry are closed.
It looks like Sun Microsystems paid for its sweet deal without any government oversight until Waxman took over. The local pol who they paid for that free ride is Virginian Tom Davis (R-11th). Maybe Sun also hired Tom's lobbyist/ consultant wife at ICG, a firm that helps get contracts -- and helps avoid a hearing before Tom's old committee when those contracts go wrong. Follow the money from the Federal Elections Committee to Davis when those contracts were awarded:
http://www.federaltimes.com/index.php?S=2773885
http://beltwayprogressive.blogspot.com/2007/05/90-million-stolen-from-taxpayers-while.html
SUN MICROSYSTEMS INC POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE, Tom Davis, $5,000, almost half of the total donations of $10,500.
TO DAVIS, THOMAS M III VIA TOM DAVIS FOR CONGRESS
10/21/1999 $500.00 20035262854
06/07/2000 $500.00 20035893423
07/18/2001 $1,000.00 22990161786
06/25/2002 $1,000.00 22991431733
09/19/2006 $2,000.00 26930426824
TO NATIONAL REPUBLICAN CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEE, when Davis was Chair:
07/15/2003 $1,000.00 24990274948
NATIONAL REPUBLICAN CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEE CONTRIBUTIONS
11/16/2001 $2,500.00 22990161785