This event is co-hosted by DAU and Public Spend Forum

The worldwide government market is enormous by any standard, over $10 trillion annually, and is an extremely complex environment for suppliers to navigate. Barriers to entry in public procurement are recognized across the globe, but perhaps no other system has demonstrated such complex and persistent barriers as the US Defense Acquisition system. Countless studies performed over multiple decades have identified these persistent barriers to entry for companies seeking to do business with the US Department of Defense. Recently, however, a number of new and revamped authorities have been enacted by Congress and implemented by DOD to attempt to address these persistent barriers. Have these reforms been effective?

Join us for this DAU-hosted Subject Matter Expert Roundtable as Benjamin McMartin, Esq., Managing Partner of Public Spend Forum, curates a discussion of Defense Acquisition and Reform experts, Samantha Clark, Special Counsel at Covington & Burling LLP; Maj. Andrew Bowne, Deputy Staff Judge Advocate for the 30th Space Wing; and William Greenwalt, Visiting Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, to address these barriers.

In this interactive roundtable session, we will investigate:

• What barriers have persisted across decades?
• What recent reforms have been enacted to target these barriers?
• Are the reforms taking effect and having an impact?
• What does the future look like for Defense Acquisition?

Who should attend: Government and industry personnel interested in lessening the barriers to entry into the government marketplace. Registration is required.

CLPs: 2.0

Participants will be eligible to claim 2.0 Continuous Learning Points (CLPs). Participation in this event will not appear on your official DAU transcript, and attendees will need to work through their training office to claim any CLPs. Visit the DAU CLP information page for more information.

Speakers:

Ben McMartin is a nationally-recognized expert, speaker, and author in Federal procurement and non-traditional acquisition methodologies, who spent more than a decade developing some of the most unique procurement solutions for the Department of Defense. He was instrumental in the development and implementation of defense policy and guidance for the use of Other Transaction Authorities and provided training and on-site consulting for more than 5,000 Acquisition personnel as the founder of the Acquisition Innovation Road Show (#AIRS / #FUTAIRS), an organic, Government-to-Government consultancy. Ben is a regular speaker on topics related to alternative acquisition methods, public procurement culture, organizational change management, and acquisition reform. Ben previously served as Chief of the Acquisition Management Office for the US Army Combat Capabilities Development Command – Ground Vehicle Systems Center, and prior to that, as a Procuring Contracting and Agreements Officer for the US Army Contracting Command – Warren. Ben has been a member of the Michigan State Bar since 2008; is DAWIA Level III certified in Contracting; a Certified Professional Contracts Manager (CPCM); and Fellow of the National Contract Management Association.

Raj Sharma is a social entrepreneur and thought leader focused on public sector management and public procurement. As founder of Public Spend Forum, Raj is working with leaders and stakeholders across local, state and federal governments across the world to build practical frameworks, tools and communities to address the most common challenges in public procurement. Raj also founded Censeo Consulting Group, a firm recognized nationally for its focus on operational excellence in the public sector. He also serves on several boards, including Girl Rising, University Of Pennsylvania’s Center for Asian Law, Michigan State University’s Executive Advisory Board and NCMA’s Board of Advisors. Raj has also written as a fellow for the Center for American Progress and the Woodrow Wilson Center for Scholars.

Samantha Clark practices in Covington & Burling LLP’s Public Policy Practice Group as well as the CFIUS and Government Contracts groups. Ms. Clark provides advisory and advocacy support to clients facing policy, political, and regulatory challenges in the aerospace, defense, and national security sector.  Before joining the firm, Samantha Clark served in a number of senior staff positions on the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee, most recently as Deputy Staff Director and General Counsel. In this role, she managed the passage of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), the annual defense policy bill that authorizes the Defense Department’s budget. Ms. Clark worked on Chairman McCain’s legislative priorities to modernize the military retirement system and reform the defense acquisition system and served as an investigative counsel for the committee’s inquiry into cyber intrusions affecting U.S. Transportation Command contractors. During her time on the committee, she managed a multi-billion dollar policy portfolio that covered acquisition law and policy, national security law and policy, military, civilian, and acquisition workforce policy, congressional investigations, military end strength authorizations, military pay and compensation, law of war and detainee issues, and women in combat.

Major Andrew S. Bowne is the Deputy Staff Judge Advocate for the 30th Space Wing, Vandenberg AFB, CA. He assists the Staff Judge Advocate in leading a staff of 25 officers, enlisted members, and civilian personnel.  The 30th Space Wing conducts spacelift and range operations in support of national and combatant commander requirements and supports operational and developmental missile system testing for the Department of Defense. Prior to commissioning, Major Bowne was a business and entertainment law attorney in Southern California. He previously served as an associate professor of contract and fiscal law at The Judge Advocate General’s School, teaching future of acquisitions, advanced acquisitions, intellectual property (IP), emerging technology, other transaction authority (OTA), and national security law.  He contributed to several DoD policies and reports, including work on the OTA Guide, IP Policy, Air Force Artificial Intelligence Strategy, and Section 809 Panel recommendations.  A graduate of The Judge Advocate General’s School, The George Washington University Law School, and Pepperdine University, and various military schools, Major Bowne is a Doctor of Philosophy candidate at the University of Adelaide in Australia, researching factors affecting the commercial artificial intelligence industry’s perception of the DoD as a customer. He has served in various assignments providing expert legal counsel to commanders and senior leaders throughout the federal government.

William C. Greenwalt is a visiting fellow at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), where he focuses on the expansion of America’s defense industrial base and defense management issues. Issues include technology-transfer reform, defense acquisition and procurement reform, technology policy and innovation, and the civil-military integration of Silicon Valley and the Department of Defense. Before rejoining AEI, Mr. Greenwalt served in senior positions at the Department of Defense, in Congress, and in the defense industry. As deputy under secretary of defense for industrial policy, he advised the under secretary of defense for acquisition, technology, and logistics on all matters relating to the defense industrial base. In Congress, he worked for the Senate Armed Service Committee, the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee, and the House Appropriations Committee. In the private sector, Mr. Greenwalt worked for Lockheed Martin and the Aerospace Industries Association.