Cybersecurity has been one of the fastest growing sectors in the federal government over recent years, with round-the-clock threats in an online world. In fact, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) reported in June that “the number of cyber incidents reported by federal agencies increased in fiscal year 2013 significantly over the prior three years,” and …
Continue reading “Are You Making the Business Case for Federal Cybersecurity?”
Since 2001, software developers have used the Agile methodology, employing short sprints and cross-team collaboration, to bring products to market faster with earlier customer input. Others have begun to apply the tenets of Agile beyond IT to the general field of acquisition. Why? To speed results, lower risk, and benefit from lessons learned throughout the …
Continue reading “AGILE ACQUISITION SUPPORT: REAL-WORLD CONSIDERATIONS”
Do 1,883 pages of Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR), comprised of 53 different Parts, dozens of forms, and a correction page feel like something to be feared? Does it keep you from buying what you need to support your agency? Many government decision-makers look at the FAR as a significant obstacle to their acquisitions, but at …
Continue reading “Fear of the FAR – Is It Getting in the Way of Doing Business?”
A new trend in acquisition – applying the modular method of “Agile” software development using daily meetings and lessons learned – is more productive than acquisition support done the “old way” because it utilizes necessary resources when and where they are required. Agile methodology applied to acquisition support is an increasingly preferred technique among Government …
Continue reading “Applying Agile Methodologies to Acquisition Support – The Benefits (Part II)”
Increasingly in today’s economic climate, Agile methodologies are the answer to the Government’s constant search for ways to do more with less. In its July 2012 report, “Effective Practices and Federal Challenges in Applying Agile Methods,” the Government Accountability Office (GAO) recognized that a growing number of federal agencies are using Agile techniques to develop …
Continue reading “Applying Agile Methodologies to Acquisition Support – The Basics”
Reverse auctions, a relatively new contracting method used by the government to procure a variety of good and services where the price is the main factor, has caused much debate and provoked heavy criticism among contracting professionals in the last few years. Some believe that reverse auctions are an excellent method to streamline the procurement …
Continue reading “Can Reverse Auctions Move Your Contracting Process Forward?”
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, …
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 …
