NEW ORLEANS, Aug. 28 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Expansion and
improvement of the U.S. General Services Administration's emergency
response office has made the agency better prepared to deal with any
national crisis, GSA Chief Emergency Response and Recovery Officer Richard
Reed told a major preparedness summit today.
"As the federal government's premier acquisition agency, we recognize
that after a disaster, GSA can make a huge difference in how quickly a
community recovers," Mr. Reed said during remarks at the Gulf Coast
Reconstruction and Preparedness Summit, held at the Royal Sonesta Hotel in
New Orleans, La.
Mr. Reed was among key federal officials in New Orleans, La., attending
the summit to discuss the $100 billion reconstruction program, new federal
programs and funding to prepare against future catastrophes. State and
local officials were also present to provide details on reconstruction and
preparedness contracts.
Mr. Reed, head of GSA's Office of Emergency Response and Recovery
(OERR), noted GSA Administrator Lurita Doan's commitment to strengthening
the agency's emergency response capacity has "positioned us where we need
to be" for the 2007 hurricane season.
Formerly the director of continuity of policy for the Homeland Security
Council at the White House and a nationally recognized emergency management
expert, Mr. Reed told summit attendees GSA's hurricane response strategy is
focused on advance preparation; customer communications/hotlines; damage
assessment; historic building assistance; returning customers to
operational status; returning owned and leased space to operational status;
and providing communications and resource support to other federal
agencies.
Another improvement involves GSA's new disaster recovery purchasing
program for state and local governments, which allows state, local and
tribal agencies to access the GSA Schedules to facilitate recovery from a
major natural disaster or act of terrorism. "Opening GSA's sources of
supply and pre-negotiated terms, conditions and pricing to state and local
agencies struggling to recover from a crisis is a significant move," Mr.
Reed said.
For more information about GSA's Office of Emergency Response and
Recovery, visit http://www.gsa.gov.
Founded in 1949, GSA serves as a centralized procurement and property
management agency for the federal government. GSA manages more than one-
fourth of the government's total procurement dollars and influences the
management of $500 billion in federal assets, including 8,300
government-owned or leased buildings and 205,000 vehicles. GSA helps
preserve our past and define our future, as a steward of more than 420
historic properties, and as manager of USA.gov, the official portal to
federal government information and services. GSA's mission to provide
superior workplaces, expert technology solutions, acquisition services,
purchasing and eGov Travel solutions and management policies, at best
value, allows federal agencies to focus on their core missions.
Did You Know? Over the past year, GSA has sponsored over 25 outreach
events in the Gulf Coast region aimed at teaching small business owners how
to compete for federal contracts. As well, 62% of all contracting dollars
spent by GSA in areas struck by Hurricane Katrina were awarded to small
businesses.
|
