Government Contracts Monitor

Transition of Key Government Procurement Personnel

January 23, 2014

The OFPP and the Navy recently transitioned two new procurement officials. Click through for more in-depth analysis on the new personnel.

OFPP Administrator Joseph Jordan Departs; Deputy Administrator Lesley Feld to Serve as Acting Administrator: After five years of Government service – the most recent 18 months as OFPP Administrator – Joe Jordan has returned to the private sector as President of Public Sector for FedBid, Inc. Jordan, who formerly served as SBA’s Associate Administrator for Government Contracting and Business Development, has been a strong advocate for buying smarter and promoting small business. Many of his initiatives, including strategic sourcing, improving acquisition workforce training and reducing the executive compensation cap for contractors, are ongoing. He has been praised by both contractors and government employee groups for his accessibility and reasonableness. Last Friday, January 17, 2014, was his last day on the job. Lesley Feld, who has served as OFPP’s Deputy Administrator since 2008, will serve as Acting Administrator. Ms. Feld holds a B.S. in Commerce from the University of Virginia and a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from Virginia Tech. She completed the Senior Executive Fellows Program at the John F. Kennedy School of Government in 2007, and was a 2008 winner of the Federal 100 Award by Federal Computer Week. Prior to joining OFPP, she worked at the Department of Transportation as a contracting officer, program analyst and procurement policy analyst in the Office of the Secretary.

Acting Under Secretary of the Navy Resigns; Thomas W. Hicks, Deputy Under Secretary/Deputy Chief Management Officer Assumes His Duties: The Navy last week announced that Robert C. Martinage has resigned as Deputy Under Secretary of the Navy (DUSN)/Policy, Plans, Oversight & Integration (PPO&I). According to the Navy, Secretary of the Navy Ray Malbus asked for Martinage’s resignation “following a loss of confidence in his abilities to effectively perform his duties.” According to an article in the Washington Post, Martinage was pressured to quit after investigators looking into his role in connection with a an alleged contracting scheme that charged the military $1.6 million for homemade silences that cost only $8,000 to manufacture discovered that he was having an affair. According to the Washington Post, federal prosecutors stated in the U.S. District Court in Alexandria, VA on January 10, 2014, that Martinage is not a criminal target of their inquiry, but that one of his subordinates told them that Martinage gave approval for a mysterious operation to acquire a large batch of firearm silencers intended for SEAL Team 6, the elite commando unit that killed Osama bin Laden. Hicks will assume Martinage’s duties as Acting Under Secretary immediately, in addition to continuing Hicks’ duties as DUSN/DCMO. Jodi Green, Senior Director for PPO&I, has been appointed acting DUSN/PPO&I.

Hopewell Darneille is the attorney responsible for the content of this article.