I was recently asked my opinion on the USD (A&S) Class Deviation memo granting Special Acquisition Authority for Rapid Contracting for Combatant Commanders (if you haven’t seen it, you can check out the link here). The question was “Does this really save that much time?” My opinion on the memo is the age-old answer given by many Program Managers, “It depends.” But this blog post isn’t about my opinion on the memo. While I was responding to that question, I started to think about how buying things quickly, whether purchasing through a Government Purchase Card (GPC) or putting companies on contract, is talked about quite frequently as a goal to which we should all strive. In fact, lack of speed is one of the biggest complaints regarding the current USG acquisition process. What people don’t talk about as frequently are the long-term effects of buying things as fast as possible. I am not implying that we should slow down. However, for situational awareness, I would like to highlight some areas of frustration that arise months and sometimes years after a “rapid” purchase or acquisition.
As a government program manager, I would use a series of questions whenever we were rushing to purchase something.
1. What about Maintenance and Sustainment?
There are millions of dollars of purchases occurring throughout the USG at any given time. These purchases can be GSA office supplies, water fountain installation, new tires for an airplane, etc. Not all contracting actions are massive efforts for huge programs but the long-term effects of buying without planning are the same nonetheless. Unless you are selling a consumable, there should at least be a discussion between you and your USG customer regarding any required maintenance for the product to continue to work after initial purchase. The downside of not having this conversation is a USG customer who is blindsided down the road by a cost and no plan for how to pay it.
2. What about Storage and Logistics?
Unless you’re selling a service, your product will end up being physically stored somewhere. Are there storage facilities or specialized shipping requirements? Make sure to bring that up prior to purchase with your USG customer.
3. Are there security, cyber, or networking constraints?
If you’re selling IT equipment or software, you’re likely intimately aware of the government regulations you’re required to meet. However, your USG customer may not be as familiar. They may need an authority to connect (ATO) waiver or coordination to get through other various networking constraints. Discussing these topics with your USG customer can easily be addressed by simply asking a few questions. “How can we best support your process for securing an ATO?” or “Can you walk us through your office’s process for securing an ATO so we can factor that into our planning?” You’re just opening a dialogue for things both you and the customer need to think about prior to purchase.
4. Will the purchase drive additional support purchases?
Sometimes, hardware and services bought on their own require additional purchases to support. For example, buying new laptops may also require buying new docking stations. Buying more ammunition may also require buying more storage lockers. Sometimes, these support purchases are in the form of support services, such as specialized technical support, which can be costly or difficult to find with little planning. If you sell the support things too, great! If not, it is in your best interest to open that dialogue with the USG to make sure they’ve considered any additional required purchases. The consequence of not having that discussion is a USG purchase of your product or service and no way to use it, which only makes you look bad.
The answer to all of those questions could be “this doesn’t apply to me.” In which case, thank you for reading. But if any of those made you think about your current product or service, I implore you to consider working that into a conversation with your USG customer if you haven’t already.
My intent is not to say that rapid purchases aren’t needed. My intent is to highlight that it is critically important to think ahead a few steps for rapid purchases to be successful for both parties in the long run. Unless you are selling a consumable, it is likely your product or service WILL REQUIRE SUSTAINMENT BY SOMEONE IN THE FUTURE. I cannot stress that enough. Unless you are selling a consumable, there will be a sustainment cost later.
As a defense company, being able to answer some of the questions I’ve laid out can go a long way when making productive and successful bids to the government. You can help them by being proactive in your discussions and mention how you can help address future issues as they arise. There is a good chance your government customer isn’t thinking about these questions unless they’re a trained acquisitions professional who has had experience with this (and that is not most people in the USG). More likely, they’re focused on executing the mission right now. But you can help them by thinking ahead and showing them how you can support them both now and in the future.
Have you had any issues with rapid contracts or purchases and a less than prepared USG? Leave a comment!
Keep Moving Forward,
