2. Procurement Rules and Practices
if Congress stopped requiring procurment to spend their full budget every year, gov't would be more creative with their spending and more careful. Now it's - we have the money, give it to them; and when the money ois gonem the project stops. When we negotiate, we should SAVE money to use on something else FOR something else to get more bang for the buck and spread more money around to small businesses.
2. Procurement Rules and Practices
For all the contracts we had bid on, we were required to submit the proposals and revisions in multiple paper copies. This mandate delays the communication between us and the contracting agencies and it consumes a lot of paper. An electronic submission system can streamline this into a much more efficient and environmentally friendly process.
2. Procurement Rules and Practices
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 »
2. Procurement Rules and Practices
If the USG did not pay for development, it has no skin in the game. Include a presumption under FAR 2.101 that an item is commercial if developed entirely at private expense. Such items can be purchased at firm fixed prices and with no schedule or development risk to the USG. These advantages are undercut, however, if such items cannot be purchased efficiently (or at all). The increased transaction costs and complex ...more »
2. Procurement Rules and Practices
Revise the process procedure review approval cycle. If a contractor has had a process ( welding, plating etc) procedure approved ,why does it have to be approved again? If the procedure has not changed and it falls into a set time frame ( i.e. 12 mths) , why resubmit. There should be a approval letter that the contractor can submit and the 30 or 45 or more days cycle can be reduced to 1 or 2 days.
2. Procurement Rules and Practices
The federal procurement community should create a document that outlines the most common regulations with which buyers must comply, in a way the average (non-contracting) person could understand. This would give vendors more insight into why contracting officers make the decisions they do, leading to less frustration and fewer questions. This would also create more accountability on part of the purchasing agent to with ...more »
2. Procurement Rules and Practices
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 »
2. Procurement Rules and Practices
It is expensive, time consuming and distracting for small businesses to prepare proposals. For some of the larger federal contractors in the Department of Energy, a new method of "Award Term" has been used to reward exemplary performance by addiing additional years to the term of the contract for each year of high performance. This would help many small businesses who often invest a year or two of profit on a three-five ...more »
2. Procurement Rules and Practices
Issue: Major information technology (IT) investments frequently exceed original cost and schedule estimates and, in some cases, deliver very little useable capability. One key driver of these outcomes is the continued preference to develop solutions in-house rather than structure programs to allow for increased use of existing commercial solutions that can be rapidly deployed, often under firm-fixed price arrangements. ...more »
2. Procurement Rules and Practices
With the Government’s policy to restrict use of “high risk” contracts, many instances exist where the best suited contract types are not utilized. This includes cost reimbursement and time and material (T&M)/labor hour (LH) types. It is especially evident in IT development projects. In many cases such as when using Agile, T&M/LH makes sense and the insistence on fixed price either drives up cost unnecessarily and/or ...more »
2. Procurement Rules and Practices
Certainly there are many changes to the FAR possible to improve its shortcomings. Beyond that, however, Contract Specialists, Administrative Contracting Officers, legal contract reviewers, and the many program staff members that provide input to Procurement can improve the acquisition process. There are no hindrances to government personnel coming together to create internal metrics, to improve accountability, timeliness ...more »
2. Procurement Rules and Practices
Requiring names of key personnel prior to solicitation is a barrier to entry for small businesses and favors incumbents. Small businesses don't have a cadre of key personnel that they can commit to contracts that are still in the solicitation phase. Incumbents can, because they can propose the same people that are working on the contract. Large businesses can also, because they're large. Acquisition teams should be ...more »