category management | The Contracting Education Academy

September 1, 2017 By AMK

When Amazon meets government

Imagine simply flipping open your laptop, firing up your desktop computer or popping open an app on your mobile phone to order office supplies, equipment, or even contract services Amazon-style, two-day delivery included.

That day may not be too far off if a provision in the House version of the annual National Defense Authorization Act makes it into law.

The prospects for commercial online marketplaces in government got a lift in mid-July, when Alan Thomas, the Trump administration’s new chief of the General Services Administration’s Federal Acquisition Service, gave an enthusiastic thumbs-up to the proposal that his agency engage online marketplaces for all agencies to use.

The idea is ensconced in the House-passed version of the 2018 NDAA, which contains policy and suggested budget toplines for the Pentagon. The Senate Armed Services Committee’s version of the bill does not include the online marketplace provision, and it awaits a full Senate vote in September, after the August congressional recess.

Keep reading this article at: http://www.govexec.com/excellence/promising-practices/2017/08/when-amazon-meets-government/140218/

May 3, 2017 By AMK

8 trends to keep ahead of in federal contracting

The Trump administration has most of Washington on the edge of their seats waiting to see what comes next, and federal contracting is no different.

“Everyone knows the federal market is driven by budgets, and budgets are driven by the presidential budget request,” Kevin Brancato, director of government contracts research at Bloomberg Government, said in an April 27, 2017 webinar. “What I would advise federal contractors to look at is agency priorities and see where they align with the president’s priorities … and you’ll likely see those agencies is where the money will be spent.”

But he said that all the budget really changes is which agencies spend the money, not so much how they spend it. That’s why he said he expects to see these eight trends continue into 2018: Category Management, Shared Services, Compliance Standards, First Time Vendors, “Other” Transactions, Cybersecurity, Simplified Procedures, and Trump’s Tweets.

Keep reading this article at: https://federalnewsradio.com/acquisition/2017/04/8-trends-to-keep-ahead-of-in-federal-contracting/

April 19, 2017 By AMK

Little-noticed section of OMB’s reorg memo brings the real potential for change

Tucked into the Office of Management and Budget’s ambitious plan to reorganize and restructure the government is a significant and generally overlooked section on organizational efficiency and effectiveness.

But it’s this portion of the April 12, 2017 memo focusing on the mundane ideas of alternative delivery models, streamlining mission-support functions and leveraging existing solutions for common requirements that includes some of the most realistic and achievable goals. Ideas such as shared services, insourcing and outsourcing and the all-but-mandate to use existing multiple-award contracts instead of developing new ones are the types of initiatives that have the real potential to change and transform agencies and their mission areas.

“The memo was clearly written by knowledgeable insiders,” said Alan Chvotkin, executive vice president and counsel for the Professional Services Council, an industry association. “The use of best-in-class contracts drawn from a prior version of the Circular on category management, the call for shared services and other examples are from people who know what they are talking about.”

Chvotkin said the memo also sends a specific message to agencies about how the Trump administration is starting to develop its management agenda.

Keep reading this article at: http://federalnewsradio.com/reporters-notebook-jason-miller/2017/04/little-noticed-section-ombs-reorg-memo-brings-real-potential-change/

March 15, 2017 By AMK

Category management basics: How to attract top-quality suppliers and ensure they deliver

Nurturing the relationship with suppliers is a critical component of the category management procurement model.

Supplier relationship management, or SRM, reshapes every step of the traditional acquisition lifecycle to increase the likelihood that agencies will contract with the most suitable suppliers and enable those companies to deliver on expectations.

SRM goes well beyond the requirements of traditional Federal Acquisition Regulation contract management: It requires extensive knowledge and analysis of markets and suppliers to improve sourcing. It results in more precise contracts that better match commercial practices. And it creates an environment that supports improved supplier performance and more effective measurement of that performance by the government.

As a result, capable, high-quality suppliers are more likely to bid on government work and to deliver it exceptionally. SRM also helps streamline government buying and drives down total costs over the term of the contract.

Consequently, the government becomes a more attractive customer and gets more value for its contract spending, while suppliers are incentivized to provide better quality goods and services. This helps build the pool of well qualified suppliers for future work.

Keep reading this article at: http://www.govexec.com/excellence/promising-practices/2017/03/category-management-basics-how-attract-top-quality-suppliers-and-ensure-they-deliver/135887/

March 8, 2017 By AMK

‘Category management’ continues efforts to get better deal for federal bucks

The federal government’s category management program continues to use its immense buying power to drive down acquisition costs and deliver better values to taxpayers — even without knowing whether the Trump administration will support the effort.

Category management is a federal-wide initiative that hones in on a series of common spend areas, including IT, professional services, transportation and logistics services and others, and seeks ways to get a better deal for the government.

The shift away from the “every agency for itself’ mentality is beginning to pay off, according to Lesley Field, acting administrator for federal procurement policy in the Office of Management and Budget.

Keep reading this article at: http://www.nextgov.com/cio-briefing/2017/03/category-management-continues-efforts-get-better-deal-federal-bucks/135798/

Imagine simply flipping open your laptop, firing up your desktop computer or popping open an app on your mobile phone to order office supplies, equipment, or even contract services Amazon-style, two-day delivery included.

The Trump administration has most of Washington on the edge of their seats waiting to see what comes next, and federal contracting is no different.

Tucked into the Office of Management and Budget’s ambitious plan to reorganize and restructure the government is a significant and generally overlooked section on organizational efficiency and effectiveness.

Nurturing the relationship with suppliers is a critical component of the category management procurement model.

The federal government’s category management program continues to use its immense buying power to drive down acquisition costs and deliver better values to taxpayers — even without knowing whether the Trump administration will support the effort.

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