Harrisburg – Today, the Pennsylvania Senate unanimously confirmed Reggie McNeil to serve as Pennsylvania's 11th Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of General Services (DGS), making him the first African American to hold that cabinet position. Governor Josh Shapiro nominated McNeil on February 1, 2023.
As Secretary of DGS, McNeil oversees the Pennsylvania agency responsible for the procurement of goods and services, the management of non-highway capital projects, the management of the Commonwealth's real estate portfolio, increasing and advancing contracting opportunities for small and diverse businesses, the expansion of energy sustainability and conservation activities, and the maintenance and protection of state-owned buildings and facilities.
"I am honored and humbled by the opportunity to serve the people of Pennsylvania as Secretary of the Department of General Services," Secretary Reggie McNeil said. "I look forward to leading the agency and moving forward with Governor Shapiro's goal to make us a 'government that works for the people' by cutting through the bureaucracy and red tape and delivering the services our citizens deserve."
Since his nomination, McNeil has implemented several improvements to the programs and policies administered by the agency's Bureau of Diversity, Inclusion and Small Business Opportunities, that will improve the quality of the overall experience of small, diverse and veteran businesses looking to do business with the Commonwealth and increase the number of opportunities available to them.
Those improvements include:
- Cutting the time it takes to certify a small business by 33%.
- Conducting Supplier Search workshops aimed at educating small minority, women, and veteran-owned businesses on available contracting opportunities within our construction and commodities bureaus.
- Conducting direct outreach to small businesses on upcoming contracting opportunities to enable them to better coordinate their attention and resources.
- Implementing an awareness campaign to help small businesses better understand how to navigate the Commonwealth's contracting processes through the entire lifecycle, from registration to being awarded a contract.
- Setting the groundwork to ensure subcontractors – which are typically smaller businesses – are paid for their work promptly by reducing the timeframe for prime contractors to pay subcontractors to 10 days from when the prime contractor on a job receives their payment from the state.
- Prioritizing the Department's engagement with other state agencies to identify ways they can increase their spending with small businesses through DGS' Small Business Reserve Program, which sets aside contracting opportunities specifically for small businesses to compete for.
Secretary McNeil's priorities also include identifying ways to improve and streamline the Commonwealth's procurement system and rightsizing the Commonwealth's owned and leased real estate portfolio to better respond to the future needs of the state's workforce.
Secretary McNeil is a proven leader with over 27 years of service to our nation and public schools. His long history of servant leadership began as a naval officer in the United States Civil Engineer Corps. After a 22-year career in the Navy, McNeil transitioned into public education. Most recently, he was the Chief Operating Officer of The School District of Philadelphia, the eighth-largest school district in the nation. Secretary McNeil has spent his career advocating for inclusiveness and greater transparency in government operations.
For more information on the Department of General Services, visit the DGS Website, or follow the Department on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn to stay up-to-date on what's happening in the department.
Contact: Troy Thompson,
tthompson@pa.gov# # #