Doan Testimony Leaked

In testimony she plans to give Wednesday morning before a House oversight committee, General Services Administration chief Laurita Doan lists her accomplishments in creating a more efficient agency and defends some of the controversial decisions she has made since taking over the agency, according to a copy of the testimony obtained by Tech Insider.

Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, asked Doan to testify before the committee to answer allegations of mismanagement.

In the testimony, in which she calls herself "a woman of action," Doan says that she welcomes "this opportunity to set the record straight" and that "GSA has turned around and created a positive relationship with the Judiciary and the Defense Department." She also says she has "tightened all financial controls, instituted sound financial management and inspired federal employees to find better and more innovative ways to improve all out operations."

With regards to a controversial extension of a Sun Microsystems' contract, Doan says that much of the documentation is proprietary and protected, and she urges the committee to not make it public.

Doan also answers allegations that she undermined the GSA Office of Inspector General by cutting its budget increase, saying she was attempting to "bring a little sunshine to all GSA spending decisions" and to "strengthen the internal oversight of all spending in an effort to make sure that all decisions were cost efficient and duplicative operations were eliminated." She says that she was not trying to intrude on the IG's authority and independence, but improve management of the office's $47 million budget.

She says that the IG made spending decisions that seemed hard to justify and that there was a "complete breakdown in any oversight or review." She cites as examples the office's information technology program and its "unchecked and unaccountable human resource process responsible for promotions and the awarding of bonuses for SES employees."

Later in the statement Doan denies comparing IG employees to terrorists and says that she wants to change the "perception that the OIG fosters a hostile work environment."

On her attempt to award a sole-source contract for public relations services to a longtime friend, Doan says she "made a procedural mistake in my zealous efforts to promote small and disadvantaged businesses ...."