Chief Procurement Officer David P. Gragan issued the following statement regarding procurement reform efforts:

"I strongly support comprehensive, common sense procurement reform that will save taxpayer dollars while increasing fairness, efficiency and transparency. In an effort to contain costs and reduce delivery time, we are increasing our use of District-wide term contracts for commonly purchased goods and services. Term contracts will be established through a full and open competitive procurement process and may replace existing supply schedules, which do not have set pricing and require individual solicitations. CBEs (Certified Business Enterprises) will continue to receive their preference point advantages as defined by District law. Current DC Supply Schedule participants and other CBEs are encouraged to participate in this new process. We appreciate our local business partners and ask for their continued support as we address fundamental changes in our procurement process."