Last month, Denise Turner Roth was confirmed by unanimous consent of the Senate as the 39th Administrator of the General Services Administration. In an email announcing her confirmation, Ms. Roth discussed her vision for the role of GSA as a strategic partner throughout the government. By focusing on three important items — Economic Catalyst, Proactive Federal Partner, and Operational Excellence – she believes GSA will be a leader throughout the government.

Clarifying her focal points, she writes:

Economic Catalyst

Every day the federal government’s investments have an impact on the communities where we live and work. GSA will work more closely with customer agencies and city officials to strategically build, lease, and consolidate in places that make the most economic sense for the surrounding community when taking into consideration transit, housing, telecommunications infrastructure and other factors. We have been an economic catalyst in places like Washington DC and Kansas City, Mo., and we should continue to do so across the country in as many places as possible.

Proactive Federal Partner

GSA knows so much about the agencies we support, and we should use this knowledge to help them think about how they can better serve the American people. This is particularly important when it comes to thinking about how we can better use technology, real estate and acquisition to better manage federal assets. By finding opportunities to be a proactive federal partner and taking advantage of them, GSA will help agencies improve operational efficiencies and increase cost savings.

Operational Excellence

In recent years, we have done a great deal to improve this agency as an organization. By collecting and relying more on data, enhancing reporting structures, and cultivating leaders, we have empowered people throughout this agency to make better decisions. We must continue to strive for the highest levels of operational excellence throughout the agency.

Global Services is excited to see how her efforts to build upon GSA’s leadership role will develop. We wish her a long and successful tenure with the General Services Administration and hope an increased position of collaboration will not only benefit the federal government but contractors as well.