In PSF’s continued effort to better understand barriers faced by all companies, large or small, new to government or incumbent, we sat down with several government professionals to discuss their insights on the issues.
We interviewed Ryan Murray, the First Deputy Director with the Mayor’s Office of Contract Services (MOCS) for the City of New York. As we talked with him, Ryan gave his point of view of the biggest challenges his organization faces when it comes to facilitating collaboration with a multitude of non-tradition, innovative companies.
Experience with Supplier Entry Barriers
Ryan confessed that one of the biggest challenges experienced by vendors is understanding what government is really looking for, aligning that to products and services they can offer and having sufficient time to respond to opportunities. NYC is improving transparency about its needs through publication of a clear language “roadmap” and publishing consumable data which helps all parties understand purchasing trends. By further digitizing procurement end-to-end, his organization is also trying minimize the administrative burdens often associated with government contracts. Finally, Ryan needs “savvy folks to be able to close the bridge between [emerging] industry best practices and government customization.”
Ways to Address Supplier Entry Barriers
PSF asked Ryan to share instances where NYC oriented its market research/engagement approach to facilitate identification and collaboration with non-traditional or innovative companies. NYC’s public spending plans, increasingly standardized solicitation formats, and direct engagement of newer companies, especially minority- and women-owned business enterprises (M/WBEs), have helped to level the playing field for emerging companies and strengthened collaboration between vendors and buyers who represent city agencies. The team will also be exploring how to further encourage partnerships between larger and smaller companies to further expand the pool of vendors working with the City.
If you are a government leader or a company already working in the public sector or seeking to do business within government markets, please take 5 minutes now to submit valuable feedback and contribute to real comprehensive solutions to public sector procurement.
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