The title here may be familiar to readers who’ve been around in this industry for awhile.  It’s a quote from former OFPP Administrator Dee Lee who offered it several times as a reminder to GSA that they need to play an active role in ensuring that their contracts are being properly used.  It’s a valid point and, to its credit, GSA has greatly stepped up its training for agency customers since Lee’s comment was first made.  Similarly, GSA doesn’t have the resources to police every award action.  That does not absolve the agency, however, from reaching out to agencies that may not use GSA contracts for their intended purposes.  The potential for that is always there and can be particularly significant at fiscal year-end.  While agency officials may be reluctant to take action, they need to remember that the agency itself can come in for oversight action in such cases, and not just the customer or contractor.  In short, a black eye for a GSA program does no one any good.  GSA did, at one time, have regularly scheduled discussions with DOD acquisition policy officials.  That’s a good model to follow and resurrect if needed.  There’s no need to limit it to DOD, either.  GSA should consider setting up regular discussions with the top 3-5 agencies that use its contract vehicles.  Will this ensure that all acquisitions are made properly?  Not likely, but that’s not really the point.  The more consistent the discussion between contracting agencies and ordering agencies, the more each side is likely to identify the difference between what it believes its role in the process to be and what it should be ideally.  This will lead to better acquisition outcomes, which is the real goal.  Responsible use of GSA acquisition vehicles is everybody’s business.