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OFPP and the President's Management Agenda


Voyager

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Hello Wifcon,

This week the Office of Federal Procurement Policy is conducting a campaign soliciting input from current federal employees on the President's Management Agenda. The campaign's solicitation is very generally requesting suggested improvements, so commenters appear to be given free reign on what their input can cover. I am aware of past comments on wifcon that dreamed of improvements in OFPP, but now, without being from a current federal employee, those comments cannot be submitted to the campaign. I'd like to try and change that. Consider me your messenger!

Here are some examples of what I've read here to jog your memory.

Here are the publications about OFPP (all the links from the 1970's at the bottom of page) that have been posted to the Contents of this page: http://www.wifcon.com/publications.htm - See "The Commission on Government Procurement (December 1972)" and "GAO Monitoring of Progress on Implementation of Recommendations".

In sum, my question is, if there is one thing you'd like to communicate to OFPP today, what would that be?

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FAR-flung 1102 -- thanks for the link. Here's a quote from the story you linked to:

 

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Rob Burton, partner with Crowell & Moring and former deputy administrator and acting administrator of the Office of Federal Procurement Policy, said he was “surprised at the withdrawal of the nomination because the Biden administration is using procurement process probably more so than the Trump and Obama administrations” in order to “implement a lot of its high-profile policy initiatives in the economic and social areas.” However, Burton said he thinks it's a “testament” to the effectiveness and quality of the career acquisition professionals in the office that work can move forward without a permanent leader, as he knows from his own experience there. 

I've met Rob before; he's an informed and erudite man. But this quote? Not his best thinking, in my opinion.

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30 minutes ago, Vern Edwards said:

What "work"?

They say it is this:

  1. To create a diverse and resilient Federal marketplace, e.g., expanding use of tools like the Periodic Table of Acquisition Innovations;
  2. To ensure interoperability and sharing of acquisition data and emerging technology tools;
  3. To build our best – inspired and engaged – acquisition workforce, e.g., expanding use of experiential learning opportunities, incorporating credentials into acquisition workforce certification programs, and creating networking opportunities to connect members of the federal acquisition workforce.

Let me know if I need to consult the tarot cards again.  I could also try a crystal ball.

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@Voyager

OFPP has neither the capability nor capacity to do any of those things. It has neither the power nor the influence.

Voyager, OFPP is a dead office. Its principal statutory function is to provide "overall direction" of procurement policy and "leadership." It has not done much of either since 1997, when Steve Kelman left. It has not issued a policy letter since February 13, 2012 (11-01, 77 Fed Reg 7609). (Dan Gordon issued a couple of fruitless memoranda.)

It is a decapitated and dead office.

That's not the fault of the people in the office. It's the fault of the presidents under which they have operated.

I'm sorry, but I'm a realist. I don't look to OFPP for anything, and neither, apparently, does President Biden.

If there will be leaders in the future, they will come from the ambitious folks in the ranks. The ones who observe, study, and learn.

 

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@Vern Edwards  I completely agree.  OFPP has done literally nothing significant in the last 20+ years.

Our contracting process is lacking in meeting government mission needs.  Our military, homeland defense, health, and environment are dependent upon a strong and responsive procurement system.  OFPP should be at the forefront leading the way to making changes for improvement.

But I see comments like this

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Steven Schooner, procurement law professor at The George Washington University who previously served as associate administrator for procurement law and legislation at the Office of Federal Procurement Policy, said, “Without empowered political leadership, OFPP and, more broadly, the acquisition community is easily ignored and sidelined, and, as a result, underperforms.” 

The Biden administration can take “innumerable approaches” to filling the role of administrator “from reformer to caretaker to subject-matter expert to specific-policy advocate (or cheerleader) - and we've seen some version of all of them,” Schooner said. “Frankly, at this moment in time, I think the biggest squandered opportunity is not filling the position with a strong, outspoken advocate for sustainable procurement.

 

Sustainable procurement is the biggest squandered opportunity?  So how is buying green allow us to better compete with China?

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Some Departments are already committed to sustainable procurement in various ways, e.g., master planning, programming, design, construction, operations and maintenance, rising sea levels, etc. 

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