Anne Rung, administrator of the Office of Federal Procurement Policy, said that the federal contracting process should focus on facilitating best practices, information sharing and collaboration between agencies to drive cost savings, performance and innovation.
Rung wrote Thursday on the Office of Management and Budget blog that the OFPP’s newly released “Transforming the Marketplace” guidance details action plans to strengthen the federal acquisition system.
“[The] guidance reflects a collaborative effort from all spectrums of the acquisition world to develop a more robust, simplified federal marketplace that benefits vendors, buyers, customers and, most importantly, the American taxpayers,” she said.
Rung noted that category management, development of acquisition talent and vendor relationships are the core elements of the guidance as it aims to support government effectiveness and efficiency.
Through category management, the government can compare the pricing and performance of commonly purchased products and services across agencies.
She added that OFPP will work with both the Office of Science and Technology Policy and U.S. Digital Service to train personnel and develop other plans to build capabilities in digital IT acquisition.
Finally, Rung said agencies should engage with industry through open dialogue or feedback mechanisms and address barriers to innovation.
OFPP will submit recommendations to government on centralizing vendor relationship management and appointing a vendor manager for commercial IT contracts, Rung said.
