Facing an aging workforce, the question of how to train the next generation of acquisition professionals is a challenge that federal leaders and industry managers have yet to solve. The need for training is great, but budgets and time are often limited. Senior government procurement executives and practitioners say agencies have cut training dollars even …
Continue reading “Acquisition Workforce Training – Rethink Your Approach”
You landed on a great project team and were asked to prepare the Project Management Plan. Even though you’ve executed or implemented project management plans, you never actually prepared a project management plan. Where do you start? What elements belong in the project management plan? Let’s start with some basics. Is a “project management plan” …
You’ve won the contract! You’ve hired the team, but they can’t start work at the same time due to delays with the suitability process. You must execute the requirements of the contract with only a portion of your staff, while providing an orientation to the work and some on-the-job training. You start with a couple …
Continue reading “Rudder Check – Engage and Educate New Team Members to Stay On Course”
It’s the problem that won’t seem to go away: for decades, government agencies, academics and industry associations have identified a lack of expertise and training among acquisition personnel as a key challenge for the acquisition workforce. Frank Kendall, Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics, acknowledged the problem, adding a new goal to …
Continue reading “Is It Time to Professionalize Contract Management?”
In this time of tight budgets and mandates to do more or the same with less, the need for innovation is greater than ever. This is the case wherever you add value to your organization, including acquisition. Frans Johansson, author of The Medici Effect, talks about intersections as “the place that ideas from different groups …
Continue reading “Does Your Organization’s Roadmap Have Enough Intersections?”
I retired in March after 30 years as a US Naval Officer. It was the end of a rewarding career that included travel, challenging work and camaraderie, but I knew that it was also the beginning of a new post-military chapter. While I was excited about the possibilities and confident in my skills honed in …
Continue reading “My Military to Private Sector Transition – Seven Lessons Learned”
Recently I wrote an article about the significant role that Contracting Officer’s Representatives (CORs) play in the acquisition process flow. In “Do COR’s Matter in Your Agency? Why they Should,” I advocated the importance of reassuring CORs that they are a valuable force within acquisition teams. This blog generated some really positive conversations, including with …
Continue reading “Four Ways One Agency Recognizes that CORs Matter”
Integrity Management Consulting and GovLoop are proud to present a 12-part series called “Conscientious Contracting: A Thoughtful Approach to Acquisition and Program Management,” that aims to address common challenges and achieve new efficiencies in government procurement. Integrity Matters will bring you occasional posts written by GovLoop’s Andrew Krzmarzick, featuring the expertise of Integrity subject matter experts and other professionals in acquisition. …
Lately it may seem like training in the Federal sector is under fire. From last year’s post-GSA clampdown on travel, to this year’s sequestration-driven furloughs and budget cuts that leave less time and money, training is often moving to the bottom of the priority list. But should it? Most front-line folks would say no. …
Continue reading “PSC President: Six Ideas for the Future of Federal Sector Training”
Being a Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) can add a whole list of tasks and activities to a manager’s already busy day-to-day responsibilities. A lot of time can pass from the date of certification as a COR to the time when a procurement request (PR) package is needed to acquire products and/or services to carry on …
