GSA expects its first Seat task order to provide better service—invisibly
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The General Services Administration has begun preparing its employees for the transition from in-house run PC operations to the outsourcing of its PCs under the Seat Management Program. As GSA implements its task order, the first under Seat Management, the agency wants to alleviate users' concerns that there will be significant changes on their desktops. Officials said at an orientation for users that they expect outsourcing of the agency's PC operations to Litton PRC Inc. will
The General Services Administration has begun preparing its employees for the
transition from in-house run PC operations to the outsourcing of its PCs under the Seat
Management Program.
As GSA implements its task order, the first under Seat Management, the agency wants to
alleviate users concerns that there will be significant changes on their desktops.
Officials said at an orientation for users that they expect outsourcing of the
agencys PC operations to Litton PRC Inc. will result in better service.
Seat Management is going to work beautifully, GSA Administrator David Barram said.
I want to plunge in. Its OK to make mistakes, but we want to correct those
mistakes quickly, he said.
The orientation, Seat.day@GSA.Gov, gave GSA employees their first opportunity to ask
questions about the shift in service.
Broadcast online and by satellite, the orientation included questions ranging from how
seat will affect work employees do on their home PCs to whether an employee would lose
on-site technical assistance.
GSA and PRC officials told users that the goal is improved service and dependability.
Through the effort, users will get one-stop help desk support, state of the art
technology and improved training, GSA chief information officer Shereen G. Remez said.
PRC vice president Denis Brown told users that if they are used to chatting with their
system administrator over coffee each morning, the goal is for them to find a new reason
to talk other than a PC problem.
The goal is to allow you to focus on your mission, Brown said, rather than
spend time calling for technical support.
Officials said few users will lose on-site technical support. Any site with more than
200 people will have its own technician.
Connie Teetz, Litton PRC operations manager for GSAs Seat Management deployment,
said the change will likely be invisible to most users.
GSA has an aggressive implementation plan beginning in May at the Federal Technology
Services new building in suburban Washington, followed immediately by the
agencys other Washington offices, Remez said. GSA plans to have all its facilities
converted to Seat Management by September of next year, she said.
Teetz said PRC is compiling a database of all GSAs PC hardware and software. As a
sites inventory is completed, PRC will move forward with implementation at that
site.