All Learning Content
GSA Shifting Tech Group to Focus More on Acquisition
Jun 9, 2017
The General Services Administration (GSA) is planning to reorganize its Technology Transformation Service (TTS) by moving it into the Federal Acquisition Service (FAS). TTS was started last year to bring under one umbrella a number of GSA tech development programs such as 18F. “To date, both...
The Tension Between Transparency and Competition in Public Procurement
Jun 9, 2017
One of the aspects of the interplay between competition and public procurement that is receiving increasing attention concerns the impact of the transparency created by procurement rules on effective competition for public contracts and, beyond that, on the risk of cartelisation of procurement...
GAO Sustains Protest of HHS Task Order
Jun 9, 2017
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) sustained the protest brought by AdvanceMed Corporation against the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) issuance of a task order to a competitor. GAO agreed with AdvanceMed, which argued HHS failed to “recognize and reasonably assess the...
Setting Risk Adversity in Government on F.I.R.E.
Jun 9, 2017
My book F.I.R.E. introduces specific techniques and practices to simplify, streamline, and accelerate our efforts to innovate. These practical tools equip us to make wise decisions about our processes, organizational structures, communication methods, and technical designs.
For example, the...
The Different Faces of Risk Aversion in Public Sector Procurement
Jun 9, 2017
At a recent meeting of the European Public Procurement Leaders Exchange we discussed the fact that in public procurement and government contracting, many staff appear to hold a risk-averse attitude.It is a generalization of course and we would never suggest that everyone in public procurement is...
Igniting Innovation in Government
Jun 9, 2017
Solving a difficult technical challenge requires imagination, focus, endurance, and a tolerance for failure, to name but a few key ingredients. However, the real secret behind delivering world-class innovation actually depends on what we lack rather than what we have. For example, consider the...
4 Ways Buyers Can Measure Total Cost
Jun 8, 2017
In our definition, total cost not only accounts for prices paid, but also other factors that drive costs. A simple example that everyone can relate to is printers. The price of a printer (and improvements in that price from competition for example) is only one factor in gauging cost performance....
Technologies from the Private Sector That Can Reshape Public Procurement
Jun 8, 2017
Within the private sector procurement, there are a number of advanced technologies that are beginning to reshape how we think about the role of “buying.” Perhaps the best place to start is in the world of sourcing itself. When I first started in the profession, top performing private sector...
Public Versus Private Sector Procurement: A Research Agenda?
Jun 8, 2017
(This guest post comes from Dr Richard Craven from the University of Leicester Law School and Dr Luke Butler from Bristol University)
Introduction
In 2013, Peter Smith of Spend Matters wrote about findings from a survey on the differences between public sector and private sector procurement. The...
What Will Brexit Mean for Public Procurement? – Peter Smith Explains at UK Event
Jun 7, 2017
At the recent London Universities and Southern Universities Purchasing Consortia conference, @Peter Smith of Spend Matters Europe and Public Spend Forum Europe gave a keynote presentation with the title “What Will Brexit Mean For Procurement?”
The session covered three main areas. In the first,...
Social Value in UK Central and Local Government
Jun 7, 2017
At the recent Procurex South event, we enjoyed a good session on social value from David Gigg of Crown Commercial Services (CCS) and Terry Brewer, shortly to move on from his job as procurement head for Harrow Council.
Gigg gave his audience an update on how his organisation is taking a more active...
Cooperative Buying Pays Off for Kansas City
Jun 6, 2017
American City & County looks at how Kansas City, Missouri found success through cooperative procurements. The city’s procurement division has won two Achievement of Excellence in Procurement Awards from the National Procurement Institute, and found that lean staffing and heavy workloads led...
