Lurita Doan is Done: GSA chief removed by White House
May 2, 2008 by Brian Lustig
This week’s resignation of General Services Administration (GSA) chief Lurita Doan is the latest chapter in what has been a dynamic yet turbulent career spanning high profile work in the private and public sector.
Though the White House ended Doan’s tenure this week, it appears that the saga might continue for at least a few more days. Doan was a guest on Federal News Radio this morning, where she provided some additional detail on how her curtain call went down. Also, according to Federal Computer Week’s Christopher J. Dorobek, there may be some other interesting elements to the story as well.
In the end, Doan was hit on all sides by allegations of improperly steering no-bid contracts to a friend, violating the Hatch Act and other alleged conflicts of interest that caught the eye of GSA Inspector General Brian Miller. At the same time, she still has a not-insignificant number of defenders who view the ouster as political gamesmanship.
Doan’s rapid demise seemed almost as quick as her ascent both as a business owner and rising star within the Republican party. I came across an old Business Week story profiling Doan and her company New Technology Management Inc. The piece speaks of how Doan turned down a $22 million contract with the government that exceed her company’s annual revenues at the time, and then dumped 1/5 of her clients conceivably under the “80-20″ rule, whereby she got rid of the 20% of her clients that occupied 80% of her time. From there, Doan’s company grew into a local powerhouse, rising to No. 67 in Forbes’s ASAP 500 ranking, and being named as one of the Washington Post’s Top 25 IT Companies.
Beyond the drama, however, the more relevant question for government contractors and those selling wares to the Federal government is how - or if - Doan’s departure will measurably impact the Agency’s direction for the remainder of President Bush’s term and beyond. Managing more than $50 billion worth of contracts, news of turmoil and transition at the GSA is always going to be eyed by those offering goods and services to the Federal government, yet the extent to which it slows buying decisions and processes is unclear at this point. I haven’t seen much speculation yet on a potential successor, and that will certainly play into how the Agency spends its time for the remainder of the year.
Let me know if you have any thoughts on a likely successor or how you think it will impact contractors, etc. for the rest of 2008.
Brian Lustig is co-founder of Lustig Communications, a Rockville, MD-based communications firm that works with growing technology and government IT firms. Lustig is also a contributor to local business and industry publications.
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