27 September 2010 - The House Veterans’ Affairs Health Subcommittee, led by Chairman Michael Michaud (D-ME), held a hearing to provide oversight of the contracting and procurement practices by the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The hearing specifically focused on existing deficiencies and explored potential remedies in order to improve practices so they are fair, fiscally responsible, and effective.
“Recent reports on VA’s contracting activities identified the need for increased transparency and increased fiscal responsibility, while highlighting inadequate competition and lack of accountability and oversight,” said Chairman Michaud. “Past hearings have brought to light the difficulties that many private companies face in contracting with the VA. As a result of these deficiencies in VHA’s procurement practices, veterans may not have access to the latest innovations or the appropriate equipment when receiving health care.”
The Committee received the testimonies of private companies that contract with the VA and those that are seeking to contract with the VA, which highlighted the perceived strengths and weaknesses of the Department’s acquisition and procurement processes. Witnesses expressed concerns over unfairly award contracts, overly complex contracts, and lack of competition during the bidding process. Some businesses face more extreme challenges. Mark T. Munroe, Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Mobile Medical Corporation, testified that “the last thing our company ever expected would be the need to sue the U.S. Government for actions taken during a procurement process.” {read rest}
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Responsible Contracting Practices at VA
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