Reformers Take New Aim at Pentagon’s Buying

Frustrated by their inability to effectively reform the Pentagon purchasing system, members of Congress are moving toward a more radical solution: creating a professional acquisition corps or a separate procurement agency.

After a series of deeply embarrassing reports involving $404 wrenches, $659 ashtrays and $7,600 coffee pots, Congress last year considered a variety of changes in the way the Defense Department purchases goods and services. However, it recessed without agreeing on any major procurement reform legislation.

Even though many of last year’s proposals are likely to resurface in 1986, lawmakers concerned over wasteful military spending are increasingly looking at new approaches designed to increase the professionalism of Pentagon procurement personnel.

Idea Caught Fire

The idea of centralizing military procurement began to catch fire on Capitol Hill shortly after the publication of a report last November by Assistant Defense Secretary James P. Wade Jr., who outlined specific proposals for an acquisition corps or procurement agency. Advocates of the idea note that France and Canada have long had military procurement corps.

Sen. Dan Quayle (R-Ind.), chairman of the Senate subcommittee on defense acquisition policy, said in an interview that he intends to offer legislation later this month to establish a 10,000-member professional civilian acquisition corps. In addition, he said, his bill would create incentives for military officers to make their career in procurement.

“I want to see an ad on television saying, ‘Make a career in the armed forces by being a procurement officer,’ ” said Quayle, who dismissed many of the less extreme solutions as nothing more than “a lot of nit-picking.”

Increased Professionalism

But Quayle said he would oppose a centralized procurement agency as too drastic a solution. The purpose of his proposal, he said, is to increase the professionalism of acquisition personnel, not to create more bureaucracy.

In the House, procurement reform advocates are awaiting the results of a General Accounting Office study of whether a professional procurement corps could be established effectively. A special panel headed by Rep. Patricia Schroeder (D-Colo.) also is studying a recommendation by a presidential panel on government waste that Congress should create a separate defense procurement agency.

A spokesman for Rep. Les Aspin (D-Wis.), chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, predicted that the idea of an acquisition agency would be at the heart of this year’s House debate on procurement reform. He added that Quayle’s proposal also is likely to get serious attention in the House, because the Indiana senator was instrumental last year in defeating several key House-sponsored measures for changing the procurement system.

Some Are Skeptical

However, some advocates of reform are skeptical of a centralized procurement system, noting that it runs counter to other efforts on Capitol Hill to streamline the Pentagon organization chart.

Noting that Congress previously has created several special corps to handle military management problems, one House Armed Services Committee aide said: “Pretty soon we won’t have anyone to fight.”

Schroeder said she doubts that the problem of waste in military procurement can be solved by centralizing the personnel who do the buying.

“If you’re just going to move people around, I’m not sure that you’re accomplishing anything more than moving boxes on a chart,” she said. “We’re just playing around the edges, but we haven’t gotten to the core of the problem.”

Opposite Direction

Another opponent of centralization, Rep. James Courter (R-N.J.), said he would propose legislation that would move in the opposite direction by abolishing the Defense Contract Audit Agency and the Defense Logistics Agency and returning their functions to the individual military services.

Quayle said he also is “flirting with” a novel plan for dealing with the so-called “revolving door” through which Pentagon procurement officers accept jobs with defense contractors. To eliminate any conflict of interest, he said, such officers should receive paid leave at the end of their tenure in government to look for new jobs--perhaps as much as 45 days’ leave for every year served as a procurement official.

At the same time, Quayle said he will propose measures to give military officials more flexibility by streamlining the complicated review process that Congress has created for the procurement system.

Special Panel Sought

Meanwhile, House Democrats are pressing for the creation of a special House committee to conduct extensive hearings on procurement reform this year. Among other things, the panel would focus on reducing the amount of paper work involved in the procurement process, one aide said.

But Courter, who opposes the creation of a special panel, argued that the addition of yet another committee would only exacerbate the problem. He said there are now 40 congressional committees with 3,000 employees that routinely spend 5,000 hours each year hearing testimony from 1,200 Pentagon officials in 400 separate hearings.

As a result, Courter plans to offer a proposal to limit the number of congressional committees permitted to review the defense acquisition process.

Action Doubtful

Despite the breadth of the discussion on procurement reform, some members doubt that Congress will take any dramatic action this year since it could not pass a major bill last year, even after widespread publicity about expensive toilet seats, ashtrays and coffee pots.

“Last year was probably the best of all possible years for procurement reform,” a House Armed Services Committee aide said. “I’m not sure there is going to be the same level of concern this year.”

But Quayle insisted that procurement reform will continue to be popular in 1986 because it is a congressional election year and “it’s a perfect thing for politicians to get involved in: low risk and good headlines.”