Does this sound familiar? You’re developing a solicitation document and vaguely recall an agency or departmental policy memo or directive that might impact your solicitation. Where is that document? Was it issued last month, maybe last year? Is it still in effect? What did it say? Or worse, you aren’t even aware that a policy …
Continue reading “How an E-Library Can Help Keep You Compliant”
Your agency just received a legislative mandate to implement a capability by a specific date. The mission could range from expanding a capability, to improving security at a checkpoint, to meeting an estimated surge in demand for transactions in a compressed time period. It may take months or years to accomplish the mission. You may …
Continue reading “Milestone Decisions: Why They’re Important and How Your Agency Can Reach Them”
You don’t have work in the federal budget field to know that agencies are closely reviewing every budget line item to see where they can streamline to reduce costs. It is vital that government Program Managers (PMs) understand the importance of building and reporting on sound business cases for their investments – the OMB300 process. …
Continue reading “How to Get Buy-In on the Value of the Business Case”
With budgets and resources stretched more than ever, portfolios are under fire to demonstrate the value of their investments through sound business cases. One way to show soundness is to demonstrate the business cases are compliant and coherent. But how is this accomplished? Based on my experience supporting teams through many Capital Planning and Investment …
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”
There are many important concepts in the 53 Parts of the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR). I would submit that none is more important and has greater potential impact on positive outcomes than the Guiding Principles found in FAR subpart 1.102. The Guiding Principles provide a framework to set up successful acquisition team interactions, thereby leading …
Continue reading “Why FAR Guiding Principles are Vital to CO/PM Effectiveness”
On a trip to San Diego I watched a Navy destroyer slip quietly under the Coronado Bridge. I remembered a phrase I’ve repeated many times throughout my career as a procurement leader and manager: “Don’t try to dial up an aircraft carrier in port to the perfect position. Just get it steaming in the right …
Continue reading “Smoother Acquisition Sailing – An Argument for Increased Communication”
I believe there’s a truism in acquisition: the work’s not done until the paperwork is finished. How many of you have tried to get an acquisition through the approval process only to be stymied because some of the critical Acquisition Documentation was not up to date or was missing completely? As one who teaches acquisition …
Continue reading “Can Time Limits Improve Acquisition Documentation?”
In an environment of uncertain budgets and evolving technology, a modular or Agile approach to acquiring new systems can provide greater cost control and flexibility. In Part I of my primer on Agile, I wrote about the What and Why of the modular approach to buying information technology (IT). Now in Part II, I’ll look …
Continue reading “How to Make Agile Work for You in IT Acquisition”
