By Matthew Perrone
Associated Press
Thursday, August 23, 2007

The Food and Drug Administration may outsource hundreds of jobs to private companies, according to agency officials.

The government's chief health regulatory agency is reviewing more than 300 positions in more than 20 cities to determine whether they could be performed cheaper and better by the private sector. A decision is expected next month, according to FDA documents.

An initial list of positions under review included lab technicians and field office workers who work at FDA facilities where food and medical products are inspected for safety. But the agency revised the list to include only administrative jobs that are not directly involved in food-safety inspections, Chris Kelly, an FDA spokesman, said yesterday.

The FDA's outsourcing effort comes during increased public fears about the safety of imported food and other products.

The National Treasury Employees Union, which represents more than half of the FDA's 9,000 workers, is urging Congress to oppose the agency's plan.

"It is a disgrace given the recent crises we have experienced with our food supply and other imports," Colleen M. Kelley, the union's president, said in a statement.

"The fact that the FDA started with one list, notified those employees that their jobs were in jeopardy and then withdrew those notices and notified a new group of employees demonstrates NTEU's point," Kelley added.

According to a presentation for FDA staff members in July, the positions under review are classified as "commercial" and do not have to be performed by government employees.

"We are obligated to support the competitive sourcing initiatives set forth by" the Office of Management and Budget and the Department of Health and Human Services, said Kelly, the FDA spokesman. "We have met this obligation since 2003 through a variety of actions that have saved the government $13.4 million."

The FDA this month suspended a plan to close seven of its 13 field laboratories nationwide after the NTEU criticized the shutdowns.