Okay, I know you probably don’t like Purchasing Request (PR) packages. Yes, it’s true they’re a pain. Yes, it’s more work. Despite all the extra work, they make life easier not just for contract specialists like me; PR packages make life easier for you.
Consider an agency where we don’t use PR packages. Say we define the requirements later on. Well, that’s a big problem because maybe work starts on something our submariners and you don’t need. That’s a headache right there. Not to mention the Inspector General and auditors breathing down your neck. PR packages exist to make sure we get what we need AND to protect you from future problems.
Here’s another way to look at it. You probably joined your organization to practice a specific field. But you practice your field as much as you want if the PR package isn’t filled out right. Why? Because while we may understand everything about an incomplete PR package, the contractor may not. If the contractor doesn’t understand the PR, then whatever you want us to buy is probably going to be messed up.
Then you have to stop practicing science for a bit so you can help me solve the problem. And that’s less time spend doing what you love…what you signed up to do.
Anyways, that’s why PR packages are awesome. And why I love them. (Or maybe, just maybe, I enjoy bothering you to fill them out.)
Sterling is an Acquisition Freak and writes a blog at All Things Sterling.
Proper acquisition planning should mean complete and fully-developed requirements that are documented and validated through a holistic stakeholder analysis. Contracting should be a critical function during this process, and have a seat at the table.
Only when programs stop throwing poorly developed requirements over the fence to contracting can we see effective change in procurement activity. The current way of doing business is not cutting it.