Current Deputy GSA Federal Acquisition Service (FAS) Deputy Commissioner Tom Howder will step up to the acting Commissioner role as of January 1^st with the departure of Sonny Hashmi.  Howder will already have a full plate of challenges, even if new issues don’t develop during the year.  First up will be ensuring that the planned reorganization of FAS continues to be implemented so that the perceived benefits of the new management structure can be achieved.  It’s much more difficult to manage the actual implementation of a program than it is to announce the plan up front.  Howder will also have to keep a close eye on the Technology Transformation Service (TTS).  The GSA IG recently issued yet another report expressing concern with the lack of financial and organizational controls at TTS, an agency that continues to operate in the red.  Getting that service in order is critical if it is to survive.   Next year should also see the award of contracts for the long-anticipated OASIS+ and POLARIS programs.  These programs are critical to GSA’s ability to deliver services and small business IT solutions, yet POLARIS, especially, has been besieged by protests.  Alliant III, GSA’s largest non-MAS IT contract, will also be put out for bid in the coming months.  Howder likely won’t get too much help from the Administrator’s office as it is tied up answering Congressional inquiries on the decision to place the next FBI headquarters building in Maryland and on Congressional oversight of how GSA manages public buildings in a time of increased telework.  The icing on the cake is that 2024 is an election year.  GSA manages presidential transitions, with FAS playing a major role in those efforts.  Howder is a capable leader, recently being recognized with a Presidential Rank award for being among the top 1% of federal leaders.  He will need every bit of that skill, and help from a good team, to lead FAS forward in 2024.