Acquisition

IT Solutions with Speed, Savings

When I meet with agency customers, I hear about the struggles we face to get IT acquisitions done efficiently and smoothly. Most government agencies–federal, state or local—face similar acquisition problems: How do we acquire IT faster? How can we continue to find savings? Can you make it easier to acquire mission-critical IT solutions? Can youRead… Read more »

Government is Hiring! But Where?

While it may appear that the size of the federal workforce has shrunk to the size of a thumbtack, many agencies are still looking to hire bright candidates. But the changing economy has forced management to alter their hiring process in favor of a more strategic one. Hiring employees is no longer isolated as anRead… Read more »

Identifying an Agency’s Critical Talent — Key to Talent Management Success

Organizations seem to be understanding that identifying their critical talent is important to achieving their goals. However, there is often still a lack of organizational focus on implementing processes for true talent identification. Part of the problem rests in the fact that many businesses and government agencies are not sure about how to go aboutRead… Read more »

If You Want to Innovate, Collaborate

TaskRabbit began six years ago as an online marketplace where users can outsource small jobs to others in the surrounding community. From buying your dog food, to picking up your dry cleaning, to installing your Ikea furniture, or cleaning your oven, the site contracts out any chore you can imagine. Now an emblem of today’sRead… Read more »

The Double Down Strategy of Contract Management Risk

By Mike Ipsaro, PMP, CCE/A In blackjack, there is a strategy known as doubling down, in which players double their bet to get one more card in addition to their two card hand. Doubling down increases players’ chances of winning, just like risk management increases the chances of success during a contract’s lifecycle. Risk isRead… Read more »

How to be a Changemaker Within Your Agency

Panelists: Russell Maltiempo, Project Manager (FDIC) Emily Doughtry, Special Assistant (EPA) Lorena Molina-Irizarry, Hispanic Employment Program Manager (HEPM) Laura Kunkel, Special Assistant at HUD Steve Ressler, Founder of Govloop (Moderator) The panelists and their groups: Russell – Emerging Leaders Group at FDIC Emily – EPA’s Emerging Leadership Network (ELN) Lorena – NextGen Census Laura –Read… Read more »

VA Acquisition Academy’s New PM Fellows Program – Now Accepting Applications!

It’s that time of year again! The next two days we’ll be blogging from GovLoop and YGL’s Next Generation of Government Training Summit. Follow along @NextGenGov and read more blog posts here. I attended a break-out session at yesterday’s NextGen Training Summit on “Project Management Best Practices.” This session was led by Paul Gregory, ViceRead… Read more »

Acquisitions: The Next Hot Area for Government Employment?

It’s that time of year again! The next two days we’ll be blogging from GovLoop and YGL’s Next Generation of Government Training Summit. Follow along @NextGenGov and read more blog posts here. NextGen Break-Out Session# 2: All About Acquisitions Speakers Jennifer Hesch, Attorney Susan Minson, Procurement Policy Analyst (Office of Federal Procurement Policy, Office ofRead… Read more »

Federal Agency Hiring – Steps to Better Candidate Assessment

Even before President Obama’s 2010 initiative to remove the obstacles in the federal government’s antiquated hiring process, agencies’ HR departments looked for ways to improve the assessment process to enhance both the applicant experience and the agencies’ chance of identifying top talent. With the OPM’s Hiring Reform in place, the intent is to create aRead… Read more »