Lurita Alexis Doan

Lurita Alexis Doan, of Virginia, was nominated April 6, 2006, by President George W. Bush to be Administrator of the General Services Administration. Doan replaces Stephen A. Perry, who resigned. 

Profiles
According to the April 6, 2006, White House news release, "Ms. Doan most recently served as President and Chief Executive Officer of New Technology Management, Inc., a surveillance technology company that she founded in 1990. She has received a number of awards for her work, including the General Services Administration's Circle of Excellence Award, as well as the Award for Entrepreneurial Innovation from the Department of Commerce. Earlier in her career, Ms. Doan was an instructor at Southeastern Louisiana University. She received her bachelor's degree from Vassar College and her master's degree from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville."

"Lurita Doan founded her small IT company by walking into a Kinko's store with $25 to print business cards and stationery. That was 13 years ago. Today [2005], her company provides turnkey solutions including design, installation and maintenance of all secure surveillance technology currently being deployed at over 85% of all the Land Border Ports of Entry on the US-Canadian and US-Mexican borders. In 2004, Lurita's company, New Technology Management, Inc. (NTMI), will perform on government contracts valued at $214 million." 

Controversies
On March 26, 2007 the Washington Post reported, in a front page story: Witnesses have told congressional investigators that the chief of the General Services Administration and a deputy in Karl Rove's political affairs office at the White House joined in a videoconference earlier this year with top GSA political appointees, who discussed ways to help Republican candidates. With GSA Administrator Lurita Alexis Doan and up to 40 regional administrators on hand, J. Scott Jennings, the White House's deputy director of political affairs, gave a PowerPoint presentation on Jan. 26 [2007] of polling data about the 2006 elections. When Jennings concluded his presentation to the GSA political appointees, Doan allegedly asked them how they could "help 'our candidates' in the next elections," according to a March 6 letter to Doan from Rep. Henry A. Waxman (D-Calif.), chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. Waxman said in the letter that one method suggested was using 'targeted public events, such as the opening of federal facilities around the country.'.... The committee is also expected to question Doan about her attempt to give a no-bid job to a friend and professional associate last summer. In addition, the committee plans to look at Waxman's charge that Doan "intervened" in a troubled technology contract with Sun Microsystems that could cost taxpayers millions more than necessary. In the Senate, Doan is facing a similar line of questioning in letters from Sen. Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa). Also examining Doan are the GSA's Office of Inspector General and the independent federal Office of Special Counsel, which investigates allegations of Hatch Act violations."

The no-bid contract was with Edie Fraser, a person with whom Doan, and her prior company, New Technology Management, had an "extensive personal and business relationship." Waxman alleged that Doan "attempted to go forward with issuing a $20,000 no-bid contract to Fraser even after GSA General Counsel Alan Swendiman repeatedly advised that the contract be terminated due to its questionable legality."

On the contract with Sun Microsystems, allegations are that two different GSA contracting officers recommended against the renewal of a contract due to possible overcharging. The second contracting official was moved off the case, "and a third officer was assigned to resume contract negotiations. Nine days after that, the third official completed the negotiations with terms that were inferior to a previous Sun proposal, Waxman wrote. Shortly after finishing the negotiation, the contracting officer received a requested transfer from Washington, D.C., to Denver, Waxman wrote.  The request had been refused before, the letter stated."

Related SourceWatch Resources

 * Homeland Security contractors