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Defining the Outcomes and Roles of Public Procurement
Feb 27, 2017
Over the course of our study of public procurement skills, we talked with nearly 50 leaders in the public sector about what they thought the desired outcomes for public procurement—and the role of the procurement function within the larger organization—should be.
Full Article: Public Spend...
How Is the Public Procurement Workforce Performing?
Feb 27, 2017
As part of our study of public procurement workforce skills, Public Spend Forum interviewed 31 procurement leaders and asked them to rate the public procurement workforce’s proficiency in 12 core skills, based on their experiences and interactions. They were also asked to explain their rating and...
Public and Private Sector Procurement – What’s the Difference?
Feb 22, 2017
Everything You Need to Successfully Navigate the Procurement Industry
No matter what your sector or industry, procurement is procurement, right? Well, not quite. There are definitely some aspects of procurement that remain the same whether you’re involved in public procurement or private...
Public Spend Forum Newswire | 2/13/2017
Feb 13, 2017
New York Congresswoman Introduces the Surviving Spouse Contracting Preference Act
Rep. Grace Meng (D-NY) has introduced H.R.971, the Surviving Spouse Contracting Preference Act. The bill would amend the U.S. Code “to treat small businesses, owned by surviving spouses of members of the Armed...
Public Spend Forum Newswire | 2/6/2017
Feb 7, 2017
Lawmakers Introduce Companion Bills to Repeal Davis-Bacon Act
Rep. Steve King (R-IA) and Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) have introduced companion bills aimed at repealing the Davis-Bacon Act. The Davis-Bacon Act requires contractors and subcontractors to pay their employees “no less than the locally...
Public Spend Forum Newswire | 1/26/2017
Jan 27, 2017
PSC Calls on EPA to Resume Contracting Activity
The Professional Services Council (PSC), a large trade association for federal contractors, has written to the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Acting Administrator Catherine McCabe, seeking a rollback of the halt to all EPA contracting...
Public Procurement News Round-up | 1/26/2017
Jan 27, 2017
PSC Calls on EPA to Resume Contracting Activity
The Professional Services Council (PSC), a large trade association for federal contractors, has written to the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Acting Administrator Catherine McCabe, seeking a rollback of the halt to all EPA contracting...
Podcast: Jennifer Pahlka Talks Innovation, Agile, and California
Jan 5, 2017
For years California’s Child Welfare System—the electronic records system that helped keep track of cases for neglected, abused and vulnerable kids—was woefully out of date. And when California decided to go out to bid for a new one, the request for proposal was typically “monolithic,”...
Challenges and Prizes Toolkit: GSA’s Guide to Getting It Right
Dec 22, 2016
We’ve written a lot recently about the effectiveness of challenges and prizes in public procurement, particularly in bringing in potential suppliers who exist far outside the orbit of the standard marketplace. The U.S. Agency for International Development, for instance, has used challenges to...
Ebook: Market Insights For Purchasing IT Hardware
Dec 20, 2016
Understanding markets and supplier capabilities is critical to engaging a market, developing a purchasing strategy and meeting your organizational needs. Given how time intensive and time-consuming market intelligence can be, we have tried to make the job a little easier. Public Spend Forum teamed...
Twelve Key Competencies for the Public Procurement Workforce – Quick Reference Guide
Dec 19, 2016
Developed in coordination with the Volcker Alliance, our draft model of the key competencies that are required for the public procurement workforce identifies 12 key competencies critical to every public procurement organization.
This quick reference guide lays out and describes all twelve....
How to Measure Public Procurement Performance With the Right Metrics
Dec 18, 2016
The way government selects and analyzes procurement metrics is often not aligned with measuring value or desired outcomes. We see it again and again in Government Accountability Office reports, or in comments from industry, but telling someone what’s wrong only takes them so far.
It’s a vital...
