The age of sequestration has started; several departments across the federal government have seen significant budget cuts. As departments scramble to find funding and make the appropriate adjustments to their budgets for Fiscal Year (FY) 14 and beyond, it can be tempting to cut support for the Capital Planning and Investment Control (CPIC) process. The …
Continue reading “The Importance of CPIC in the Age of Sequestration”
With the arrival of sequestration and slashed budgets, agencies have been facing many tough decisions on where to cut spending and save money. Acquisition teams have been given the difficult task of doing the same or even more with less. The pressure to maintain current levels of support with less funding may seem to put …
Continue reading “Why Partnering Matters in a Tight Budget Environment”
When the pressure is on to perform at a higher level due to limited resources and tight time constraints, your team’s morale is likely suffering. As a manager, you are probably also feeling overwhelmed. Many of us have experienced wanting to be proactive but struggling to find time to focus on the less tangible aspects …
Continue reading “How Investing in Your Team Can Pay Off – Even in Tight Times”
Sound familiar? A complex professional service contract is awarded using the LPTA approach…..it costs millions more than expected. A recurring supply of widgets or routine services is obtained using a Best Value approach. The delivery is delayed months and when combined with the final price of the contract…..results in avoidable costs of millions. The lesson: …
Continue reading “Best Value or LPTA? One Size Does Not Fit All in Acquisition”
As fiscal pressures rise, senior leaders across the federal government place additional emphasis on Firm-Fixed Price (FFP) contracts. A prime example is the Department of Defense “Better Buying Power” memoranda. FFP contracting is an important method to add simplicity and cost efficiency, but with respect to services, FFP contracting is not always appropriate. When bound …
Continue reading “The Hidden Costs of Firm-Fixed Price Contracts”
Our Integrity experts each forecast one top trend for 2013. What emerging trends will dominate the next 12 months or more in acquisition and program management? And what should you know right now? Trending Up: Back to the Basics — Choosing the Right Contract Type Last November Mr. Frank Kendall, Under Secretary of Defense …
Continue reading “2013’s Top Trends in Acquisition and Program Management”
You’ve heard of strategic sourcing. You’re being advised to use it. But when does it work best and what’s the key to getting started? Integrity Fellow Tom Kuhn sits down with Chris Dorobek of the Dorobek Insider program for a wide-ranging discussion about how to make strategic sourcing work in federal agencies. Read the transcript, …
America has faced a tough economic climate the past few years and the fallout is extensive. Think about the number of people who wake up in the morning and want to go to work but can’t find a job. It not only affects their ability to provide basic needs for their families, it lowers their …
Continue reading “A Simple Philosophy: Growth Solves All Problems”
During this period of fiscal uncertainty, characterized by continuing resolutions and the approaching “Fiscal Cliff,” many may turn to incremental funding as a means to manage scarce and unpredictable resources. Incremental contract funding is a useful financial tool because it forces the government to closely monitor costs. However, if not deliberately planned and carefully managed, …
Continue reading “Don’t Let Incremental Funding Drag Your Program over the Fiscal Cliff”
For a better part of twelve years the federal budget has been pretty ample and programs were free to operate in a much more flexible environment. “Supplemental” allotments of funding were in large supply at the Department of Defense (DoD). Then the faucet began to close as the wars have begun to wind down and …
