Motorcity

How do you think the advancement and implementation of artificial intelligence into the procurement arena will affect training and education? I fear that many folks will develop a sort of "why read when the machine reads it for you" type of mentality.

We are fortunate enough to have free and easily accessible CLP-based courses on various platforms to meet the new 100 CLP milestone. That being said, I have spent many hours filling out forms and obtaining various management approvals just to obtain permission to attend an external 8-CLP course.

I was reading the linked article down below on the passing of Virginia Congressman Gerry Conolly. I couldn't help but notice what retired Congressman Tom Davis had to say about procurement. He stated that no one really cares about procurement, but that Gerry Connolly dug his teeth into it. My question for the experts on here focuses on the attention procurement receives from politicians in general. Is the statement from Tom Davis accurate? Is procurement sort of an afterthought for politicians? Sure, it isn’t something that gets headlines or brings accolades, but it's an important function. Is FAR reform and procurement in general really seen as a political backwater or a chore by our folks on Capitol Hill. Washington TechnologyGerry Connolly remembered for his passion and bipartisanshipThe long-time representative from Northern Virginia has died at 75 following a battle with cancer. He is being remembered for his advocacy of federal workers and the contractor community as well as...

I am curious - does your OSDBU review packages or require any sort of approval prior to a project/requirement?

And some folks sometimes misuse and/or misunderstand the word "shall" in some cases. The Law DictionarySHALL Definition & Meaning - Black's Law DictionaryFind the legal definition of SHALL from Black's Law Dictionary, 2nd Edition. As used in statutes and similar instruments, this word is generally imperative or mandatory; but it may be construed as...Shall Definition and Citations: As used in statutes and similar instruments, this word is generally imperative or mandatory; but it may be construed as merely permissive or directory, (as equivalent to “may,”) to carry out the legislative intention and In cases where no right or benefit to any one depends on its being taken in the imperative sense, and where no public or private right is impaired by its interpretation in the other sense. Also, as against the government, “shall” is to be construed as “may,” unless a contrary intention is manifest. See Wheeler v. Chicago, 24 111. 105, 76 Am. Dec. 736; People v. Chicago Sanitary Dist., 184 111. 597, 56 N. E. 9.”.:;: Madison v. Daley (C. C.) 58 Fed. 753; Cairo & F. R. Co. v. Ilecht, 95 U. S. 170, 24 L. Ed. 423. SHAM PLEA. See PLEA. SHARE 1082 SHERIFF

Is the FAR being updated specifically so that much of the procurement process can be automated? I do wonder if automation was even taken into consideration during the streamlining of the FAR. I guess what I am asking is will the updated version of the FAR be automation friendly?

This is the first article that provides at least a few details including various increases and processes. I am curious to know about this user guide that they plan to release (plus all the threshold increases). Washington TechnologyPlan for sweeping FAR changes nears releaseThe General Services Administration, NASA and Office of Federal Procurement Policy are working to create a leaner acquisition framework that could attract more companies to the market.

I think in the realm of procurement, yes AI will be able to make solid and effective decisions. These are complex systems and while the FAR is complex, it certainly isn't rocket science.

Yes, that is the thing - AI can learn and improve by adding quality documents/templates/samples to the pool of information. I suppose it will be up to humans to determine what is and what isn't a quality document. We may get to a point where the system is able to take in garbage and spit out gold. If it is going the way I think it will, we will need far fewer 1102s in the direct years ahead.

I have sat through demos of several procurement-focused AI platforms in recent days (some have yet to be released to the market). I was absolutely stunned at how accurate the output was. Whether it was an SOW or a certain kind of D/F, the docs weren't garbage at all. This is absolutely going to change how we do business. It's here. It's arrived.

I can see GSA taking over most civilian side IT and staffing (domestic, at least). They may cherry pick the best 1102s from each civilian agency, especially the ones who have the DITAP certificate. I can't see this being a 4-agency pilot sort of deal, though. I think it's going to be a wholesale move and transfer of portfolios and duties to GSA. Automation will be doing a lot of the work.

Is it safe to assume that they are also lining things out in the supplements (DOSAR, DFARS, etc.)? Whatever gets crossed out in the FAR will affect the supplements I would think. Maybe that gets done at the agency policy shop level?

I think “common buys” fall into any of the 10 categories displayed in the article below: https://federalnewsnetwork.com/acquisition-policy/2025/03/draft-eo-would-make-gsa-the-center-of-most-common-buys/?readmore=1

The term “domestic” was also mentioned. I am curious to see how that is applied. What if a contract is awarded stateside but the performance is overseas (as State does for most of their larger contracts).

Any idea what kind of numbers we are looking at regarding text required by statute? Are we talking a third of the FAR? Half? Sounds like it's a substantial amount of language.