A little-known statute requires broad dissemination of acquisition-process innovations — explicitly to help the federal government attract more small-business participation by streamlining how it does things — and focuses on one of the most successful such initiatives in government.
In a recent blog, I focused on the concept of the acquisition team as an “overdue innovation.” However, my primary focus of encouragement is on having the acquisition team become a source of innovation(s) that could be considered for a specific acquisitions, as provided for and encouraged by the FAR Guiding Principles, @ 1.102-5(e). The personnel whose duties include carrying out any acquisition, regardless of how formally or completely these individuals may be recognized as an acquisition team, are empowered by the plain language regulatory encouragement found in the FAR since the 20th century.
You may be saying, “That’s so old it’s no longer an appropriate focus for a quarter century later.”
Really? Congress passed the “PROMOTING RIGOROUS and INNOVATIVE COST EFFICIENCIES for Federal Procurement and Acquisitions Act of 2021 (the “PRICE Act”), which was signed into law in February 2022, because they still want to see more innovation and efficiency in government procurement.
The Act required the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Procurement Innovation Lab (PIL) to publish informative, educational annual reports regarding PIL’s efforts/successes throughout DHS. The reports are called yearbooks and are available at Innovation Resource Library | Homeland Security (dhs.gov). The PRICE Act also encouraged other federal agencies to establish and maintain similar websites for their own department personnel, and those sites also include a wealth of information.
At the PIL and similar websites of other agencies, individual acquisition team members, whether from federal, state or local government, can find an idea that, if not directly applicable, can generally be adapted to their own particular circumstances and needs. In the case of the PIL, most, if not all, of their concepts have been protested to the Government Accountability Office (GAO) and have been found acceptable. Most PIL ideas relate to streamlining and simplifying processes to save time and resources for the government agency as well as the interested businesses. Back in my professional “youth,” I was taught that these types of improvements could not be done. I still see the same attitudes in agencies way too often.
No, I am not making a sales pitch for the PIL — and I have never worked there or anywhere in DHS. I did have the opportunity, however, to attend PIL’s first day-long “bootcamp” for contractor personnel and really had my eyes opened that day. It was extremely helpful for me to see the documentation that the GAO had accepted each initiative they taught at the bootcamp. Now, years later, there are so many more successfully tested PIL concepts — and more at other agencies. All the ideas I’ve suggested that fit my clients’ needs have assisted them in meeting their needs with successful contracts, awarded more quickly and efficiently.
Does your federal, state or local agency have an acquisition innovation office? Several do have great resources available — either because they were pursuing acquisition innovation concepts on their own or as a result of the PRICE Act. In addition to whatever is available within your own organization, the above link to PIL’s proven concepts will potentially adapt well to your own needs and circumstances.
As the Seventh Sense Consulting LLC (SSC) Director of Acquisition Practice, Mr. Patrick Shields has over 45 years of experience as an acquisition/contracting professional and innovative leader. As a Navy Department civilian, he was a major weapons systems contracting officer and manager. Since his civil service retirement, with 2 firms he has provided subject matter expertise support to numerous Federal civilian and DoD organizations, including acquisition strategy/ documentation support for key acquisitions, policy development, and personnel training. He also managed a subscription “ask the expert” response team and authored numerous topical publications for over 25,000 professional employees of subscribing agencies.
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