Choose Your Level of Government
State and Regional
Confronting the Culture of Fear in Government
Jun 28, 2017
It is a common view among observers of the operations of the federal government that agencies are often hobbled by a culture of fear. Civil servants are terrified that if they ever make a mistake, the boom will be lowered on them (the words “get fired” are often used), while success doesn’t...
Two Faces of Negotiation in Public Procurement
Jun 20, 2017
One of the most satisfying projects I’m involved with these days is the George Cronin Award for Procurement Excellence, a national award for innovation presented by the National Association of State Procurement Officials. I saw a very insightful statement about negotiation in the 2016...
The Government of Singapore’s E-procurement System – Case Study
Jun 14, 2017
In this case study, The Centre for Public Impact describes how the Government of Singapore Ministry of Finance (MOF) planned and implemented an E-procurement system to be used. As noted in the case study:
“The [MOF] decided to bring together different pockets of activities or systems in the...
The Benefits of E-procurement in State Governments – Case Studies
Jun 14, 2017
This research paper by NASPO provides a robust discussion of E-procurement systems. Of particular interest in this paper is how E-procurement systems address procurement principles and drive business value outcomes for the public organization. In addition, the report also discusses the various...
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...
A Reflection on the UK Government’s Progress on Digital Transformation
Jun 5, 2017
As we approach yet another election, I began to reflect on the last but one occasion that the UK electorate had the opportunity to make its feelings known and create a new or at least different shaped government. More importantly, that the back-drop for the UK was a near bankrupt nation, created a...
Three Important Insights for Government Contracting from the Private Sector
Jun 1, 2017
Over the years, speakers at the Senior Supply Management Executive Summits hosted by Michigan State University have shared leading-edge ideas and effective strategies as well as defined challenges that remain to be addressed. Four common themes can be gleaned from the summits. And these themes...
Six Ways for Public Procurement Buyers to Get the Best Price
May 31, 2017
Competitive pricing is predicated on a keen understanding of a number of factors, including a market and its suppliers, internal user requirements and their demand patterns, and alignment with the user community. Several sophisticated techniques can and should be explored to determine their...
The False Promise of Scale in Public Procurement and Government Contracting
May 31, 2017
Procurement and acquisition professionals often struggle with the tradeoffs of “scale economies” versus “socio-economic goals.” The assumption derives from a false premise that bigger companies and bigger contracts inherently yield lower cost. But, that assumption fails to understand the...
Defense Acquisition Reform Bill Wants to Create a Marketplace Like Amazon
May 19, 2017
Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-TX) has released his defense acquisition reform bill, which will be folded into the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) later this year. The bill focuses on improving the Department of Defense’s purchasing of commercial items. According to Federal News Radio, “The...
Attracting, Retaining and Developing New Procurement Professionals
May 17, 2017
NASPO discusses how the increased demands on the public procurement work force (in large part driven by an improved positioning of the strategic role of procurement) requires enhanced skill sets. In addition to describing the changing demographics of the public procurement work force and the...
Market Engagement Best Practice Report from the SPP Regions
May 14, 2017
The Procurement Forum website is managed by the European Secretariat of ICLEI- Local Governments for Sustainability, as part of the Procurement of Innovation Platform project financed by the European Commission. It is a good way of finding out what is going on in the public “procurement of...
