October 21, 2016
Cutting through the Red Tape to Faster, Smarter Acquisition
Source: GovTechWorks, Tobias Naegele, October 12, 2016
The fundamental mismatch between the speed of acquisition and the speed of government is an endless topic of conversation among government and industry alike. But while most officials tend to blame the rules, some leaders believe hide-bound people and processes are a bigger problem.
“Culturally, we have not necessarily come to that awareness that it takes a team,” said Air Force Lt.Gen. William Bender, the service’s chief information officer, before launching into an examination of a typical Air Forces systems development program during the Oct. 4 Synergy Forum in Washington, D.C. That typical program, he said, begins with a two-year process “to determine if a materiel or non-materiel solution is required,” continues with a year to define the requirements, “two more years to get it into the budget, and four years to deliver it.”
The status quo is not working, he said.
Bender’s solution is a new acquisition framework he’s developing and hoping to sell to Air Force leadership. Others are trying their own solutions.
At the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), CIO Luke McCormack is experimenting with “Reverse Industry Days,” a new twist on the standard acquisition tactic of presenting speeches to industry business development teams and hoping the words inspire good ideas. The twist: DHS fills the room with several hundred of its own acquisition and IT staff, and brings in industry to share its ideas with them. READ MORE….
Contact your nearest PTAC to learn more about government contracting.
Keep up to date – follow us on Twitter, LinkedIN or Facebook!
For help with Government Contracting: contact your nearest Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC). Funded through Cooperative Agreements between the U.S. Department of Defense and state and local governments/institutions, PTACs provide free and low-cost assistance in virtually all areas of government contracting.