Waxman, Doan Agree on Expanding Cooperative Purchasing
Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA) and GSA Administrator Lurita Doan lent their support to expanding cooperative purchasing at SIA's Government Summit, June 11-13 at the Hilton Embassy Row hotel in Washington, DC. Next week, SIA Government Relations Director Don Erickson will meet with Rep. Ed Towns (D-NY) staff to discuss proposed legislation extending cooperative purchasing to schedule 84. For a copy of the draft cooperative purchasing bill, contact Don Erickson at derickson@siaonline.org.
Additional highlights from SIA's 2007 Government Summit:
Monday, June 11, 2007
The Summit launched with a session on the challenges associated with TWIC implementation. Featuring representatives from the American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA), International Organization of Master Mates & Pilots, and the Transportation Security Association (TSA), participants heard a range of perspectives and gained a more balanced understanding of both the challenges and opportunities facing TWIC implementation. View Presentations.
The next session delved into the privacy debate and use of RFID technology. Panelists included Jim Harper from the CATO Institute who presented his concerns regarding the REAL ID Act and the use of RFID with human identification. Doug Cram, Security Holding Group, Jeremy Grant from Stanford Washington Research Group and Dan Combs of Global Identity Solutions examined the factors driving ID management, and dispelled myths surrounding the use of smart cards and RFID. View Presentations.
On Monday night, guests had another opportunity to network while enjoying the warm breezes on the rooftop of the Hilton Embassy Row. View Pictures.
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Andy Card kicked-off the program with an engaging discussion on the importance of educating lawmakers on the issues. He stressed the importance of trade associations and their ability to effectively lobby on behalf of the industry. Card also talked about the role of OMB in the policy and budget process and advised attendees to get engaged in the process.
Henry Waxman (D-CA) discussed the House Oversight agenda and the importance of keeping government and contractors accountable for their actions. He stressed that contracting rules need to be clear, fair and fast. Waxman also voiced his support for expanding cooperative purchasing.
A panel featuring Molly Wilkinson, chief acquisition officer for GSA, Jeff Koses, director, Federal Acquisition Service, and Kellie Stoker, division director of the Law Enforcement and Security division at GSA's Southwest Acquisition Center, examined the newly created Federal Acquisition Service (FAS). Wilkinson said the new division will revitalize the workforce, enhance financial management and accountability, and provide businesses with flexibility for acquisition solutions. In addition to greater automation of the MAS system, this summer GSA will issue its next generation of contractor report cards. These will be a useful tool for contracting officers to see who is performing well and make better-informed decisions with this information.
Rep. Mike McCaul (R-TX) stopped by to accept SIA's 2007 Global Security Leadership award. McCaul addressed the crowd and spoke about his new cyber security legislation designed to criminalize "botnet" attacks, broaden the criminalization of electronic data theft, reflect the influence of organized cyber crimes syndicates, expand sentencing guidelines, and boost needed resources for cyber crime law enforcement.
At lunch, GSA Administrator Lurita Doan reached out to SIA’s members and asked for the industry’s help to ensure that America gets the best security solutions our industry can deliver. She said working with industry partners is the best way to reduce acquisition costs and ensure that taxpayers get the "best value" solution. Doan said one of the goals of the recent reorganization of the Federal Acquisition Service was to make it easier and quicker for customers and vendors to deal with GSA. Programs like the expedited schedule contracts (MAS Express) and expanded training (Pathways to Success), she said, are examples of how it’s working. Finally, she promised to work hard to expand access to GSA’s schedule contracts for state and local governments because, "it benefits everyone when we reduce the transaction costs for government purchasing."
Tuesday night's Public Policy Dinner featured keynote remarks by Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD). He discussed Port Security issues and the need for the industry to continue creating innovative products and services to secure our nation's physical infrastructure. Sen. Norm Coleman (R-MN), Reps. Loretta Sanchez (D-CA), Kendrick Meek (D-FL), and Ed Towns (D-NY) were on hand to accept their Global Security Leadership awards. In addition, Kathleen Carroll received the 2007 Statesman's Award and Ron Martin, physical security specialist with the Anti-Terrorism Division of the U.S. Department of Commerce, was recognized for his dedication to building a positive, productive relationship between the federal government and security industry. View Photos.
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Rep. Bart Gordon (D-TN) led the program with a discussion focused on revitalizing the U.S. education system. He spoke about the need to increase the number of math and science majors, as well as increase the quality of our teachers. Gordon also discussed health care and IT interoperability, and noted that his committee recommended NISTs budget be doubled to better handle its workload.
Following Gordon's remarks, the Hon. Tim Hutchinson, former U.S. Senator (R-AR) and currently a senior advisor at Dickstein and Shapiro; Jim Dyer, former staff director for the House Appropriations Committee and currently managing director of Clark and Weinstock; and Tom Yedinak, senior legislative representative for the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) led a lively discussion on the federal earmarking and appropriations processes. Lending their many years of legislative experience to the discussion, the trio provided insight into current congressional appropriations rules. View Presentations.
Next, a panel session on standards and procurement featuring Roy Higgins, chief of the Advance Technology Flight at Hanscom Air Force Base, and Craig Ziegler, project engineer for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Electronic Security Center, provided an insightful look into how the Security Equipment Integration Working Group (SEIWG) and Army Corps of Engineers use specifications and standards in their procurement decisions. They were preceded by Allen Rude, security products manager for Intel, who is responsible for all security products deployed, or under evaluation/development in conjunction with Intel’s operational road map and internal integration with other business systems. Rude provided his insight on how consensus standards are used in Intel’s procurement decisions and the impact on the organization. View Presentations.
At lunch, James Powers, Homeland Security advisor to Gov. Ed Rendell (D-PA) discussed homeland security procurement challenges facing his state and how the security industry can get involved. Powers said the private sector needs to build awareness of their security products and services to the municipalities and county governments. He will place a link to SIA's web site, with information on our member products and services on their site.
Following lunch there was a panel discussion on the SAFETY Act, part of the Homeland Security Act of 2002. This session informed members as to what types of equipments are eligible, what the Act covers, and the different classifications available under the SAFETY Act. Participants learned that the liability caps extend to equipment manufacturers as well as integrators. View Presentations.
The final panel discussion centered on FISMA compliance. In this lively session participants learned the history of FISMA, the need for audit trails that provide forensic evidence in the event of an investigation, the classification of IT system types, the Federal Information Protection Standards (FIPS) that apply as well as how to certify and accredit a system.
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