Toby Roth: “first let me thank the distinguished Senator from Michigan and also congratulate him for his very significant…”

“first let me thank the distinguished Senator from Michigan and also congratulate him for his very significant contributions to what is truly a bipartisan effort to bring some sense out of this mishmash that now regulates and controls Government procurement. As he has so eloquently said, for the last 6 months, members of the Governmental Affairs Committee as well as the Armed Services Committee have worked together, both Democrats and Republicans, in an effort to bring about reform that will bring better procurement for the services, as well as better purchases for the taxpayers' dollar. Madam President, today's Federal buying system is not in good condition. Multi-billion-dollar cost overruns; programs that are years or even a decade behind schedule; incentives that encourage spending rather than savings; and top-heavy bureaucratic agencies that rely on detailed regulations rather than good judgment; these are the features that come to mind when one thinks of the Federal Government's buying system. It is disconcerting when, almost weekly, the network news magazines reveal a new horror story. Ironically, despite these problems, program managers are promoted to general, admiral, and senior executive service jobs after the programs they managed experience billion-dollar cost overruns. The GAO's 1993 high risk series of reports noted that the Federal buying system itself perpetuates waste, fraud, and abuse.”