Angela Styles Appears on "Government Matters" Show, Talks Procurement Office Nomination, Staff
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Akin Gump government contracts partner Angela Styles appeared on the program Government Matters and was featured in the segment “Procurement workforce critical for implementing administration priorities, say former acquisition officials.”
The segment discussed President Biden’s reported plans to nominate Biniam Gebre to lead the Office of Federal Procurement Policy (OFPP) and the issues facing him should he be confirmed.
On the issues she saw as being most important for OFPP right now, Styles, who served as Administrator for Federal Procurement Policy within the Office of Management and Budget at the White House, commented that she thinks that cybersecurity and the Buy America Act are “the most significant,” characterizing them as “critical” for the administration and all the agencies in the federal government.
Discussing the approaches she would suggest to Gebre, were he to be confirmed, Styles said that OFPP should take back the lead on federal procurement from the General Services Administration, which took over during the previous administration. Most important, however, she said, was “Rely on the staff at OFPP. There are many of the same people there as when I was there. They know this job. They know how to do it…and trusting them to really help move this agenda forward.”
Styles also advocated “taking care of” the federal acquisitions workforce, adding, “I can’t tell you how this pandemic and the contracting, grants and the new programs and the amount of money going out the door has stressed the current acquisition workforce. That needs to be acknowledged. Their well-being needs to be taken care of.”s
She also spoke about the “incredible tension” between Biden administration initiatives, such as the Buy America Act, supply chain security and help for small disadvantaged business, and the priority of speed and efficiency of getting new technologies out.
To watch the full episode, click here. Styles’ segment starts at 14:43.
