On October 13, 1994 President Clinton signed into law the Federal Acquisition Streamlining Act of 1994 (Public Law 103-355). It was designed to simplify and streamline the Federal procurement process, previously a paperwork-intensive system. Because the Federal Government consumes about $200 billion annually and conducts business with over 300,000 vendors, it is not surprising that a system of such magnitude could produce sizable savings if it were made more efficient. FASA is significantly changing how the Government does business. The Act repeals or substantially modifies more than 225 provisions of law to reduce paperwork burdens and make the system operate more efficiently and cost effectively. The key provisions of the law include:

• Transforming the acquisition process to Electronic Commerce including the implementation of a Government-wide Federal Acquisition Computer Network (FACNET);
• Promoting the acquisition of commercial products;
• Enhancing the use of simplified procedures for small purchases (those under $100,000)
• Streamlining acquisition procedures;
• Establishing uniformity in the procurement system;
• Improving protest and oversight processes;
• Authorizing specific pilot programs.

For additional information on this and other legislative and executive policy efforts to streamline Government operations you can visit the web site http://www.npr.gov/. This site provides information on the National Performance Review and has links to other Federal policy educational sites.