Open Dialogue on Improving How to Do Business with the Federal Government Browse Recent ideas

Rather than continually develop more government unique rules and regulations, encourage the use of commercial business practices and standards in procurement/acquisition. Why? Creates opportunity for government to benefit from innovations, technologies and services found in the broad marketplace. Lowers the cost of doing business with the government for companies. Allows quicker incorporation of latest technologies ...more »

Transformation Innovation in IT/Services Acquisition: We must have open communication and collaboration with industry from day 1 of a new (large) procurement. Government publishes OMB 300, Report 15s and program-specific strategy on public website. Hold monthly Industry Days to openly communicate with Industry, verify requirements, get innovative ideas, and utilize digital market research. Utilize non-profits to assist ...more »

Each site visited has unique registration, password requirements and required company data. Cumbersome and redundant. While it is understandable that agencies are different and data base information is not shared, some intra agency information is not shared from one platform to the next. There needs to be a Clearing House for each Agency and from there a sharing agreement between agencies.

When we started our business as an 8a, even as former military acquisition professionals, we encountered so much "red-tape" in getting on the GSA Schedule that we eventually had to hire a company to assist us in the process. 8 months and $15K later, we finally got onto the IT Schedule 70. Instead of being easy for the small company, it was hard, and expensive. I have talked to other companies who did not have the time ...more »

This clause creates significant training, monitoring and reporting requirements for organizations selling to the private sector and government. Eliminating the requirement would save internal efforts, which can be extensive depending on the organization.

Small businesses seeking to enter the federal space must apply through various programs. These include GSA for GSA Schedules, set-aside programs (e.g. HubZone, 8(a), veteran-owned), etc are required to deal with multiple organizations and submit similar information to each. Create a consolidated application for small businesses that would permit them to apply for the special programs through a single application process. ...more »

Prime contractors would like to work with subs that bring new capabilities to agencies, and this may be the easiest way for new firms to enter the Federal market. But most believe, based on history with agency proposal reviews, that a non-Federal subcontractor’s lack of past Federal performance will count against them (or at least will have no impact). Guidance should be issued that past performance from teaming partners/subcontractors ...more »

FAR needs updated so that the contractor community does not have to submit numerous copies of forms such as an assignment of claims, novation agreement or change of name agreement. With going electronic, paperless, and electronic signatures, duplicate copies shouldn't be required.

innovation in IT products and services in today's solutions will require collaboration by Budget, Procurement, and IT executives. many companies are frustrated at the inability of government to develop procurements that will actually allow for companies to offer different BUSINESS ENGAGEMENTS, rather than technologies alone. alternatives which will allow for companies to offer investments (with longer term financial ...more »

Government reporting systems have a tendency to grow over time without an overall design or architecture. As a consequence they can quickly become an alphabet soup of acronyms, with indecpherable connections and frustratingly different methods and rules of entry and extraction. A good example of this is the confusing jumble of systems that make up the government's past performance/integrity system. Suggest that systems ...more »

Contracting specialist should be more forthcoming answering questions. It's very hard to have a productive dialogue before and after award.

Notwithstanding the OFPP Act's intent to create a thoughtful,disciplined, and limited regulatory system, Federal agencies have increasingly ignored the system's requirements and proliferated duplicative, conflicting, unnecessary, and ill-designed local requirements that greatly frustrate the contracting community. Most disturbing is the rampant failure to: 1) follow statutory requirements for publicizing and obtaining ...more »