Got Ideas on How to Improve the Federal Acquisition Process? Here's an Opportunity to Get Your Two Cents In.

From now through May 5th, the Chief Acquisition Officers Council (CAOC), in coordination with the Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council, the Chief Information Officers Council, and the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) Office of Federal Procurement Policy (OFPP) is conducting a notional dialogue to discuss burdens and barriers associated with the federal acquisition process and ways to address them. According to the CAOC, this dialogue is part of an effort to improve the economy and efficiency of the federal acquisition system by identifying "impactful" steps that can be taken to make it easier for agencies to do business with the best companies and enter into contracts that allow these companies to provide their best solution for the taxpayer.

The purpose of this dialogue is to discuss improvements to the Federal contracting process. Through this "discussion" based platform, CAOC will gather ideas and proposed improvements that can be accomplished through executive (regulatory, administrative, or management) action, as well as potential legislative proposals (new laws). The open dialogue is focused around three topics (OICC calls them "campaigns). These topics include:

• Reporting and compliance requirements - Currently the Government requires businesses to fill out a lot of complicated paperwork. OICC wants to know how it can reengineer paperwork and systems, eliminate duplicative reporting, reduce the frequency of reporting, and change outdated requirements.
• Procurement rules and practices - Companies doing business in the private sector have best practices and the Government would like to learn about and replicate those in the Federal Government wherever possible. 
• Participation by small and minority businesses, new entrants, and non-traditional Government contractors - Many businesses lack the resources and expertise to participate in the Federal marketplace. CAOC is looking for feedback to understand what steps can be taken to increase participation among entities not currently participating in Federal contracting.

Everyone is welcome to share thoughts, ideas, suggestions, and comment on other suggestions.  Here's an example of a comment recently posted to the site.

To participate in this forum, click here. Go back often. At the end of the process, CAOC will publish a summary document that highlights the key concepts, themes, and the ideas that emerged in the dialogue.