BetterBuy: A GSA, ACT-IAC and NAPA Collaborative Project to
Bring Innovation to the Federal Acquistion Process
In 2009 the American Council for Technology and Industry Advisory Council teamed with the General Services Administration (GSA) and National Academy for Public Administration (NAPA) on a collaborative project to bring innovation to the Federal acquisition process. The “BetterBuy” project was created to let anyone and everyone interested in the government’s acquisition process suggest ways to improve that process through the use of new collaborative technologies such as Web 2.0. The goal of this initiative is to improve and streamline how the government buys goods and services.
The federal government spends approximately $530B annually on the acquisition of a wide range of goods and services to meet mission needs. As the demand for these goods and services increases, the acquisition process has become more complex and less efficient. The costs of this complexity and inefficiency are borne by the government, the private sector and ultimately the public. Another problem is that government has been unable to keep the Federal acquisition workforce growing at the same pace as the growth in acquisitions. As a result, government acquisition officials are being asked to do more with less. New and innovative technologies offer opportunities to address these issues.
“The goal of the BetterBuy Project is to try to bring some clarity around and reduce the complexity and potentially the cost of the process for both government and the private sector enabling the government to deliver more value,” said GSA’s Mary Davie, Assistant Commissioner, Office of Assisted Acquisition Services, Federal Acquisition Services.
Persons interested in the Federal acquisition process are invited to suggest opportunities to improve that process through innovative technologies.
Hundreds of ideas and suggestions were received through an online collaborative forum. After a review of the best ideas, GSA has now launched two acquisitions that will test the application of these ideas.
The first project involves Data.gov – which was created to provide greater public access to government information. As a result of the BetterBuy project, GSA is now soliciting comments on how to improve Data.gov’s data storage and hosting.
Additionally, in a few weeks, a second project and RFI for GSA’s Clearpath hosting environment will launch. Both acquisitions will use a WIKI platform to help shape requirements and the solicitation documents. The WIKI can be accessed at http://betterbuy.fas.gsa.gov. GSA will also use a Twitter account @gsa_fedsim to provide updates on the status of each procurement.
Interested parties may participate in both of these initiatives through the BetterBuy web site. For more detailed information on these initiatives, see Mary Davie’s blog post on the BetterBlog located at the BetterBuy web site.
BetterBuy is an ongoing project and new ideas and suggestions are always welcome.
Executive Advisors to this project are: Steve Kempf GSA; Casey Coleman, GSA; Martha Dorris, GSA; Ken Allen, ACT/IAC; Jennifer L. Dorn, NAPA
Within ACT-IAC the Acquisition Management Shared Interest Group has the lead.