Have you ever stopped to consider the importance of the Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System (CPARS) and how top management in both Government and Industry can use the evaluations to make strategic business decisions? The FAR requires CPARS evaluations but government auditors have reported that they’re not always done on time or with enough detail. …
Tag Archives: Acquisition Management
The Effect of Quality Control on Customer Satisfaction – Part II
As customers we expect high quality. It’s an expectation we should all keep in mind when the tables are turned and we’re providing a product or service. High quality equals higher customer satisfaction and a greater chance of continued partnership. In Part I of my blog on Effective Quality Control to Support Your Customer, I …
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Effective Quality Control to Support Your Customer
When you decide to purchase a certain product or pay for a needed service, it is your expectation that you will receive something of value and of good quality. When quality is not up to par, think about how it makes you feel. I have been places where my first visit was my last due …
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Procurement Planning – An Important Spoke in the Wheel
With the recent uncertainty over further sequestration and a possible second government shutdown, many agencies and components of the federal government have been asked to identify those procurement actions that are critical and have the potential to cause major operational dysfunction if delayed. While this drill is important, it’s also a reminder that procurement …
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Widening the Aperture of Acquisition & the Acquisition Team
Today’s fiscally constrained environment is being felt in many places, including acquisition. The Federal Government spends billions to execute its missions through acquisitions. After talking with one of my colleagues about the impact on the acquisition discipline, she astutely said “though resources may be narrowing, the way you approach acquisition shouldn’t”. In fact, to face …
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Avoid Risk by Using Solicitation/Contract Templates
Imagine this scenario. Your acquisition lead time is quickly slipping. Time is running short to develop your solicitation documents, which could jeopardize meeting the target project completion date. What do you do? It’s likely that you don’t start entirely from scratch on a completely blank page. Do you pull the last electronic version of the …
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Successfully Quarterbacking Government Contract Closeout Files
Imagine a college football game day – large crowds of fans, student colors, marching bands, and the cacophony of noise. Once the last touchdown is scored and the crowds leave, the crew that remains behind has the important job of ensuring things are brought to a close and all is in place. Representatives who contribute …
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What Elements of BBP 2.0 are Important to IT Programs and Why?
As we move further into an unprecedented era of tighter budgets and post war downsizing, it makes sense to implement Better Buying Power 2.0, the directive published by Frank Kendall, Undersecretary for Acquisition at the Department of Defense (DoD), in April 2013. Bottom line – if you are a program under Acquisition Technology &Logistics (AT&L), …
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Four Ways One Agency Recognizes that CORs Matter
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 …
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Getting to the COR of a PR Package
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 …
