Readers of the Friday Flash will recall the blog, “Transparency: Even the Simple Things are Important,” that appeared in this space just before the holidays. In that blog, we noted, with surprise, the sudden and unannounced disappearance of GSA’s online staff directory from the agency’s website. Coalition members were regular users of GSA’s directory, as the critical information it provided facilitated the day-to-day work that keeps contract administration on course.
We pointed out that the removal of the directory was “as unfortunate as it [was] antithetical to the Administrator’s priorities and the path of openness to which the agency committed.” Indeed, we cited GSA Administrator Emily Murphy’s confirmation hearing testimony wherein she committed to, among other things, improving transparency as a means to “…instill confidence in the integrity of our government… .” Fast-forward to this week. GSA reached out to the Coalition with the news that the GSA online directory was being restored to the agency website.
On Tuesday morning, all Coalition members should have seen the association’s email thanking the agency for its swift response to industry concerns. The restoration of this important business tool was a demonstration of the agency’s commitment to procurement transparency, , and Coalition members very much appreciate GSA’s response to their concerns. At this writing, the complete restoration of the directory remains a work in progress. Specifically, GSA is working to update and address contact telephone numbers in the online directory.
The Coalition members look forward to the update of the online directory to include complete contact information that is coming soon. In the meantime, we thank GSA Administrator Murphy for taking this positive step on the path to restore the online directory. It is a welcome step toward reaffirming the partnership between GSA and its industry partners.