Center for Government Contracting Reports

Center for Government Contracting News

Acquisition Next: A Playbook to Break the Industrial Age Paradigm

Marianne Klinker — Mon, 24 Oct 2022 16:21:34 +0000

Acquisition Next: A Playbook to Break the Industrial Age Paradigm Marianne Klinker Mon, 10/24/2022 - 12:21

To ensure overmatch against strategic adversaries like Russia and China, the defense acquisition system does not need a new set of reforms but rather a change in mindset. The Center for Government Contracting calls this change in mindset and approach "Acquisition Next." It seeks to replace industrial age paradigm of linearity and prediction with the modern approaches of modularity, speed, iteration, and competition. This playbook suggests a way to implement the Acquisition Next mindset.

Download the playbook.

Program-Level Plays

Download the playbook

1. Adaptive Requirements
2. Continuous Market Research
3. Master the Baseline

Software-Intensive Plays

4. Agile Work Statements
5. Modular Contracts
6. Smart Intellectual Property

Send feedback to Eric Lofgren at elofgren@gmu.edu.

Acquisition Next Media Mentions

How agencies can bolster their market research chops, Ross Wilkers, Washington Technology
GMU GovCon Center Playbook Seeks to Implement ‘Acquisition Next’ Mindset, Jane Edwards, GovConWire
Addressing DOD's Tech Focus Areas Requires New Approaches, C. Todd Lopez, DOD News

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Center for Government Contracting News

Trusted Workforce 2.0 and Tomorrow's Digital Workforce

Charles Dolgas — Tue, 02 Aug 2022 16:06:21 +0000

Trusted Workforce 2.0 and Tomorrow's Digital Workforce Charles Dolgas Tue, 08/02/2022 - 12:06

This report outlines the results of a workshop discussion on Trusted Workforce 2.0 (TW 2.0) implementation and academic initiatives to educate and train today and tomorrow’s cleared government contracting workforce. ��AV's Center for Government Contracting and Institute for Digital InnovAtion partnered to facilitate a roundtable discussion on March 31, 2022 with senior federal officials responsible for TW 2.0—the new federal security clearance process. In addition to government officials, discussion participants included senior representatives of small, mid-tier, and large companies with cleared workforces as well as George Mason faculty engaged in preparing the future digital government contracting workforce.

Download the report

This report outlines the workshop discussion; identifies key takeaways from the workshop; and makes recommendations for potential follow-on activities. Readers will understand and appreciate

The interagency collaboration that is driving TW 2.0 implementation for government and business;
How TW 2.0 efforts to use data analysis to increase visibility and transparency have dramatically reduced backlogs for security clearance applications;
What academia can do to develop tomorrow’s digital workforce; and
What work remains to be done, particularly in the area of acquisition and cleared personnel.

As will become evident in the report, Trusted Workforce 2.0 is a game changer for the cleared government contracting community. We look forward to your feedback and to setting up future workshop discussions on critical government contracting issues in the coming months.

Download the Report.

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Center for Government Contracting News

The Power of Many: Leveraging Consortia to Promote Innovation, Expand the Defense Industrial Base, and Accelerate Acquisition

Charles Dolgas — Wed, 20 Jul 2022 19:54:04 +0000

The Power of Many: Leveraging Consortia to Promote Innovation, Expand the Defense Industrial Base, and Accelerate Acquisition Charles Dolgas Wed, 07/20/2022 - 15:54

In This Story

Stephanie Halcrow

July 20, 2022 — The Center for Government Contracting releases a new report, “The Power of Many: Leveraging Consortia to Promote Innovation, Expand the Defense Industrial Base, and Accelerate Acquisition.”

Download the report

Key findings: The Consortia Model promotes innovation,
expands the industrial base, and accelerates acquisition

Key findings from the report include: the consortia model enhances communication between government and industry via dedicated collaboration events; the consortia model expands the defense industrial base as nontraditional defense contractors make up 77% of the membership for the 12 consortia surveyed and serve as the lead contractor on nearly 70% of awards through those consortia; and in certain circumstances, the consortia model can significantly speed up acquisition timeliness and free up the DoD acquisition workforce to perform other critical tasks.

The report is co-authored by ��AV Center for Government Contracting Senior Fellow Stephanie Halcrow and Moshe Schwartz, President of Etherton & Associates.

“The data paints a clear picture that the consortia model plays a vital and growing role in the defense innovation ecosystem,” said report co-author Stephanie Halcrow. “Most significantly, consortia create a space for government–industry collaboration and bring the value of nontraditional contractors and small businesses to the table. Going forward, we see the role of consortia only increasing as the need for innovation and expanding the industrial base continues to be critical for the security of the nation and our warfighters.”

Building on previous research into Other Transaction Agreements (OTAs), the report includes the participation of twelve distinct DoD consortia which provided data and case studies to researchers. Based on the research, interviews, and data analysis, the authors found the consortia model supports government acquisition efforts by:

Promoting government-industry-academia communication,
Facilitating industry partnerships and collaboration,
Providing critical surge capacity to government acquisition,
Offering a ready, pre-established network of potential suppliers who have expertise in specific areas,
Helping government program offices that do not have the requisite skill and experience in executing OTs, and
Supporting the expansion of the defense innovation base by bringing nontraditional defense contractors and small businesses into that base.

Additionally, the report emphasizes support for transparency and oversight in order to safeguard the interests of taxpayers and government but cautions against onerous legislation and regulations that have the potential to undermine the consortia model and OTs.

To strike the right balance, the authors provide seven specific recommendations to improve the consortia model going forward: improve visibility and transparency; enhance training and develop best practices; focus on transitioning technology to production; avoid additional regulatory burdens; preserve the definition of Nontraditional Defense Contractor; promote collaboration and innovation through flexibility; and expand the use of Other Transaction Authorities.

“This important research shines a bright light on a critical source of innovation in the government contracting community and we look forward to the continued growth of ‘the power of many’ in the future,” noted Center Executive Director Jerry McGinn.

“The consortia model is an important tool in the acquisition toolbox that provides meaningful benefits to both government and industry,” said report co-author Moshe Schwartz, “It is important that the government acquisition workforce understand when and how to use and manage consortia effectively. This report indicates that when done right, consortia expand the industrial base, promote collaboration, and more efficiently deliver the innovative technologies our armed forces require to maintain their edge.”

Download the Report

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COVID-19 Response: An Initial Review

Charles Dolgas — Fri, 25 Mar 2022 19:50:21 +0000

COVID-19 Response: An Initial Review Charles Dolgas Fri, 03/25/2022 - 15:50

An initial review of the COVID-19 response.

This report provides updates on

The Defense Production Act and its implications for the COVID-19 response
Emergency package funding
COVID-19 contract information and opportunities
How to navigate contracting during the crisis

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COVID-19: Federal Contracting Response and Industry Impact

Charles Dolgas — Fri, 25 Mar 2022 19:46:13 +0000

COVID-19: Federal Contracting Response and Industry Impact Charles Dolgas Fri, 03/25/2022 - 15:46

Executive Director Jerry McGinn & Research Fellow Eric Lofgren compiled and analyzed data from the federal response to COVID-19.

This white paper focuses on four parts of the response:

The federal response.
Industry impact.
Contract tools.
Operation Warp Speed & supply chains.

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COVID-19 Response: Executive Update

Charles Dolgas — Fri, 25 Mar 2022 19:40:02 +0000

COVID-19 Response: Executive Update Charles Dolgas Fri, 03/25/2022 - 15:40

Provides updates and trends in the federal response to COVID;

U.S. government guidance, the Defense Production Act, and provisions of the CARES Act
Contract data
Business opportunities

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COVID-19 Response: Contracting with Speed

Charles Dolgas — Fri, 25 Mar 2022 19:36:05 +0000

COVID-19 Response: Contracting with Speed Charles Dolgas Fri, 03/25/2022 - 15:36

Focuses on the performance of FAR and non-FAR authorities in the COVID response to date:

Rapid contracting approaches in federal contracting
Acquisition Reform
FAR and Non-FAR contracts

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Read the Full Report here.

COVID-19 Response: Contract Data Update

Charles Dolgas — Fri, 25 Mar 2022 19:28:32 +0000

COVID-19 Response: Contract Data Update Charles Dolgas Fri, 03/25/2022 - 15:28

Update and trends from the Center for Government Contracting on the COVID-19 response:

What the U.S. government has purchased to respond to the pandemic;
Which contracting approaches have been used over the course of the response; and
COVID-19 contracts using Defense Production Act Titles I and III

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