Other People’s Contracts, or OPC, have been and still can be an effective way of getting things done, but there’s one problem that we need to fix. I’ve always been a big fan of strategic sourcing and of networking with other buying offices to use contracts that are already in place, whether it’s a program office I’m working with or some other program office that wants to work with my team. It’s so much more efficient when it comes to how we spend taxpayer dollars if we can use an existing vehicle (aka contract, Other Transaction, grant, etc), regardless of Read More
10 USC 2373: The Cool “New” Tool for Rapid Acquisition
“There is nothing new in the world except the history you do not know.” — Harry S Truman 10 USC 2373. Ever heard of it? If not, you’re going to, and most people will think that it was invented in 2018. It wasn’t, and I have the war stories to prove it. Gather ’round…. My First 10 USC 2373 It was a dark and stormy night…. Okay, metaphorically, it was a dark and stormy night. The year was 1993 and the Program Office I worked with needed to test a particular product. Ordnance-related, in this case. All unclassified. To keep Read More
Rethinking Risk in the Rapid Acquisition World
When it comes to rapid acquisition, we should be rethinking risk–or rather, our risk tolerance. What if we considered risk in acquisition the same way we look at risk in financial planning? Risk is about more than our resources. It’s also about the time we live in, whether that’s facing impending retirement personally or losing our technological edge as a country. We need a way not only to assess program or contract risk, but also to assess the amount of risk decision-makers are willing to support. The latter drives the former –– a program labeled high risk may be dead Read More