Procurement Through Technology – Why Not in Gov?
Implementing something like this is hardly a technical challenge any more. It just needs the agency to make it a priority and get it done.
Posts Tagged: procurement
Writing an RFP – Easy as 123?
Let’s get one thing straight right out of the gate: selling to the government has never been easy. But these contracts can be lucrative. So often the pain is worth the gain. For example, electric carmaker Tesla just inked a $20 billion dollar contract with the federal government for research and development. Getting a spotRead… Read more »
You Can’t Buy that…Or Maybe You Can?
Dear readers over the holiday season I did my fair share of shopping. Presents for my family were a must, but I also might have added one or two small gifts for myself. Maybe. But here’s the thing, as I hit up the mall and battled my fellow last minute shoppers, I was struck withRead… Read more »
‘Tis the Season for Acquisition Reform?
‘Tis the season for end of year reflections. And in 2014, the government technology and acquisition communities had a lot to reflect on. The rollout of healthcare.gov, the launch of 18F, the President’s announcement of a new professional cadre of digital procurers, were just a few innovations and challenges that cropped up this year. TwoRead… Read more »
Don’t Throw Out the FAR – Transform It
A few weeks ago on the DorobekINSIDER, host Chris Dorobek made a radical call for a government restart – he suggested doing away with the Federal Acquisition Regulation. The FAR was intended to answer any and every procurement question under the sun, but the resulting document has more than 99 parts and thousands of subchapters.Read… Read more »
Card Cataloging for Government Acquisitions
Before the invention of the Internet, libraries depended entirely on card catalogs. Although painstakingly tedious for any librarian, organizing card catalogs is an almost fail-proof method of documenting the overwhelming inventory of any library. And general cataloging standards tend to be standardized across most libraries. Card cataloging or any standardization method can make almost allRead… Read more »
DorobekINSIDER: 6 Reasons Silicon Valley Can’t Fix Government
Hey there. I’m Christopher Dorobek — the DorobekINSIDER — and welcome GovLoop’s DorobekINSIDER… where we focus on six words: Helping government do its job better. On GovLoop’s DorobekINSIDER: Living in a Mobile World – lessons learned from ACT-IAC’s mobile apps fair: Some of the big takeaways from the app fair, emphasizing how government organizations areRead… Read more »
What Does it Mean to Negotiate a Contract?
This series began discussing fostering relationships through contracting. This idea underpins all discussions about contracting because if you keep the relationship in mind while conducting contract negotiations, where both sides are heard and concerns are addressed, then there is a greater likelihood that the outcome will be beneficial to both parties. In the previous post,Read… Read more »
How to Get Started in Contracting
Writing contract specifications can seem daunting, boring or like a mere formality. Where should I start? What should I write? It is difficult to start with a blank piece of paper and to generate the specifications for a contract. If the service is existing, start by thinking through the day to day details of theRead… Read more »
Why Government Uses Open Bid Processes
For most purchasing professionals in the public sector, solicitations and open bid processes are “just the way things have always been done.” Open solicitations are a way for governments to protect themselves, ensure transparency, show good stewardship of public funds and give the best value for monies spent. There is also a trickle-up benefit toRead… Read more »