Transforming Major Acquisitions in Government

The Association for Federal Information Resources Management (AFFIRM) November Speaker Series, entitled “Transforming Major Acquisitions in Government” was held in Washington, DC, on November 21, 2019.

The speakers included:  

• Soraya Correa, DHS Chief Procurement Officer
• Jose Arrieta, HHS Chief Information Officer
• Kenneth D. Rogers , State Department Acting Deputy Chief Information Officer

The event detailed the different ways the federal procurement process is evolving to meet the government’s growing needs, while also capitalizing on the best resources industry has to offer.

The speakers agreed that OTAs have allowed new technology into the market federal space , because its  loosened regulations  have allowed non-traditional vendors to participate in the federal procurement process.

The speakers additionally predicated that the rise of AI and cloud services will improve procurement officials  efficiency, particularly during the Pre-RFP phase. The speakers believed that AI will allow procurement officials to better formulate RFIs that match the government’s needs, which simultaneously reflect the abilities of industry.

Lastly, the speakers said that procurement officials themselves are taking initiative to improve. DHS has introduced an “Innovation Lab” for procurement officials to experiment with different procedures and better understand the options available. According to DHS Chief Procurement Officer Soraya Correa, other federal agencies have used the “Innovation Lab” to help employees improve their job performance.

In order to strategically address the problems for 2020 and beyond, the federal procurement process is innovating by incorporating non-traditional methods such as OTAs, adopting Category Management, utilizing emerging technologies such as AI and cloud services, and implementing personnel reform.