Johnson navigates Senate confirmation

For the fifth time in 14 months, the General Services Administration is looking for a new Administrator.

Today, Martha Johnson -- no stranger to GSA -- faced a Senate committee for her nomination hearing to head the nation's landlord.

By all accounts, the fact that Senator Joe Lieberman, chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, was able to dispatch this hearing in just under one hour seems to suggest that Martha Johnson's nomination to head the GSA is going to move through the Senate smoothly.

Chairman Lieberman noted that this is not the first time around for Johnson at the GSA.

"She's no stranger to government, and served as Chief of Staff at GSA from 1996 to 2001."

Johnson's morning before the committee, however short, was not without some rigorous questioning on several topics.

Chairman Lieberman brought up a subject explored in his committee before: surplus government real-estate.

He cited the recently passed Carper-Corubn Surplus Government Real Estate, a measure which allows agencies to retain a portion of the proceeds from the sale of unneeded government real estate.

"I'm delighted that GSA has the authority to retain earnings when it disposes of excess property," Johnson told the committee, "It's helpful to have that money flowing into the federal building fund."

Both Lieberman and the ranking Republican on the Senate panel, Senator Susan Collins from Maine, also questioned Johnson closely on concerns about the fact that so many federal agencies are now bypassing GSA for their needs, and cutting their own purchasing deals.

Johnson said that her priority, once she is confirmed, is to work with the Office of Federal Procurement Policy, and plans to more effectively manage inefficiencies.

Johnson also says GSA needs to deal with the "human-ware" aspect of the problem, namely, a shortage of trained acquisition and contracting officials.

She also believes that a period of stability in leadership would help GSA.

Nominee Johnson also promised to address the issue of post-award audits, brought up by Missouri Senator Claire McCaskill.

Johnson says she expects to have several reports on the topic upon taking office and says the idea of auditing a contract after it is awarded has merit.

Lieberman says he expects Johnson's nomination to be approved by the committee, and the Senate, in a timely manner, but did not indicate when he would bring her nomination to the full committee.

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