Procurement Reform | The Contracting Education Academy

January 11, 2019 By cs

Air Force turns to nontraditional contracting for space technology projects

The Air Force just over a year ago formed a Space Enterprise Consortium to expedite the development and prototyping of satellites, ground systems, space sensors and other technologies that U.S. adversaries are advancing at a rapid pace.

Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson hailed the SpPEC as a successful business model that cuts red tape considerably compared to traditional defense contracting. The consortium so far has started 34 projects worth about $110 million and has been authorized to fund nearly $400 million in additional projects over the next four years.

“The initial ceiling for SpEC was $100 million but was increased to $500 million in order to address the emphasis and demand for other transactions agreements to support prototyping efforts,” Air Force Capt. Benjamin Leaf, the SpEC program manager, told SpaceNews in a recent interview.

Keep reading this article at: https://spacenews.com/air-force-turns-to-nontraditional-contracting-for-space-technology-projects/

January 9, 2019 By cs

Six things on the Pentagon’s 2019 acquisition reform checklist

Under the purview of Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, reform has become a buzzword inside the Department of Defense, with every office trying to find ways to be more efficient, whether through cost savings or changes to bureaucracy.

**Flag of the Undersecretary of Defense**

The department’s Acquisition and Sustainment office, headed by Ellen Lord, manages billions of dollars in materiel; and by Lord’s own belief, it is ripe for changes that could net the department big savings.

On Dec. 17, Lord sat down with reporters and outlined a series of goals for 2019 that she hopes will help transform how the Pentagon buys equipment. Here, then, are six key items to watch for in the coming year:

Rework the department’s key acquisition rules.
Write a department-wide intellectual property policy.
Do better at developing software.
Increase use of OTAs.
Make greater use of prototyping.
Make the Selected Acquisition Reports public again.

Read the details here: https://www.defensenews.com/pentagon/2018/12/27/six-things-on-the-pentagons-2019-acquisition-reform-checklist/

January 7, 2019 By cs

How OTA collaborations are streamlining government acquisitions

Other Transaction Authorities (OTAs) have garnered significant attention recently because they help our government acquire innovative technologies much faster than typical Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR)-based acquisitions, which can take years to complete.

Some have called OTAs the “cool new thing” in acquisition — words you wouldn’t normally hear when talking about federal contracting.

So, what are OTAs? And more importantly, why should agencies make these agreements part of their procurement process?

Keep reading this article at: https://federalnewsnetwork.com/commentary/2018/12/how-ota-collaborations-are-streamlining-government-acquisitions/

December 26, 2018 By cs

Pentagon acquisition chief aims to reform business practices in 2019

The Defense Department plans to simplify some of its business practices next year to improve the way it works with industry and acquires new products, the Pentagon’s top weapons buyer said.

One key reform will be creating more commonality in intellectual property policies, Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment Ellen Lord said. Rules and requirements surrounding IP have long been a major concern for contractors that worry that doing business with the government will harm them if they lose control over their secret sauce.

“We’re writing intellectual property policy for across the department,” Lord said during a meeting with reporters at the Pentagon. “From an industry perspective, we are trying to be consistent across all the services and the agencies so that we don’t have different requirements for similar [acquisition] needs. … We’d like to have the same type of contract language.”

Keep reading this article at: http://www.nationaldefensemagazine.org/articles/2018/12/18/pentagon-acquisition-chief-aims-to-reform-business-practices-in-2019

November 5, 2018 By cs

FAS, IRS procure modern systems to streamline contracting processes

The Federal Acquisition Service (FAS) and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) are looking into modernizing their technical assets to modify and streamline their contracting processes, Federal News Network reported last week.

General Services Administration The administrator of the General Services Administration Emily Murphy noted at the 2018 ImagineNation ELC conference that she aims for FAS to rethink procurement operations as it simplifies its schedules program.

She added that technologies such as robotics process automation, machine learning and business process re-engineering will help contracting officers focus on procuring systems according to specific data and business needs.

FAS Commissioner Alan Thomas also disclosed at the conference that the service will leverage GSA’s CIO Application Maintenance, Enhancements, and Operations recompete effort to modernize contracting systems.

Keep reading this article at: https://www.executivegov.com/2018/10/fas-irs-procure-modern-systems-to-streamline-contracting-processes/

The Air Force just over a year ago formed a Space Enterprise Consortium to expedite the development and prototyping of satellites, ground systems, space sensors and other technologies that U.S. adversaries are advancing at a rapid pace.

Under the purview of Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, reform has become a buzzword inside the Department of Defense, with every office trying to find ways to be more efficient, whether through cost savings or changes to bureaucracy.

Other Transaction Authorities (OTAs) have garnered significant attention recently because they help our government acquire innovative technologies much faster than typical Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR)-based acquisitions, which can take years to complete.

The Defense Department plans to simplify some of its business practices next year to improve the way it works with industry and acquires new products, the Pentagon’s top weapons buyer said.

The Federal Acquisition Service (FAS) and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) are looking into modernizing their technical assets to modify and streamline their contracting processes, Federal News Network reported last week.

Search this Website