The House Armed Services Committee and leaders within industry and Pentagon are making it clear defense acquisition rules need some work. And new Congressional leaders might bring new attitudes on acquisition that could reverse current trends.

Larry Allen is president of Allen Federal Business Partners. On In Depth with Francis Rose, he shared his Top 3 for 2015, and told Federal News Radio’s Nicole Ogrysko 2015 is an important year for acquisition reform and the General Services Administration. He’s optimistic about the future of procurement in 2015, but a look into his Magic 8 Ball said “The future is still unclear; ask again later.”

Larry Allen’s Top 3 for 2015

1. DoD acquisition “enhancement”: Like many people I am optimistic that 2015 will see positive changes to DoD’s acquisition system. There is so much going on in the House Armed Services Committee, the Pentagon, industry and elsewhere on this topic, that I find it hard to believe some streamlining of procurement processes won’t come about. Hopefully, that would be legislative, but changing leaders inside the agency may bring new attitudes on acquisition that help reverse the recent trend of “leave no rule behind.” If the agency is serious about keeping a diverse supplier base — and I think that’s an open question for some people — will it embrace the changes it needs to in order to do business with more than six to 10 companies?
2. 2015 will be a make or break year for GSA: GSA leaders continue to press industry on price and look to standardize or commoditize things like professional service categories. In the meantime, Dan Tangherlini and Tom Sharpe have spoken openly about reducing the number of companies with which GSA does business to a relative handful compared to what they have today. Will customers buy into these approaches, or will they look upon them as evidence that GSA really is the “pencil and pens” purveyor of past perception? Some companies have already reduced their GSA presence. Will the low price policies drive more away? If so, what does all of this mean for GSA’s continued relevance? Customers and contractors ultimately don’t need a GSA if the agency is not meeting the needs of either sector.
3. There is tremendous potential for dysfunction: Politicized procurement processes like the new interim Minimum Wage Rule and the coming workplace safety rule are one threat to a well-functioning acquisition system. So, too, is the likely oversight that will come from Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R- Utah), the new chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. With budgets continually tight and high oversight, attempts to enforce socio-economic policies via contracting, 2015 could be dysfunctional indeed. Throw in the very real possibility of a looming sequestration at the end of the fiscal year or start of the next calendar year, and government contracting is not going to be for the faint of heart. Conventional wisdom holds that things will start to improve in 2016 or 2017, but right now my Magic 8 Ball says “the future is cloudy; ask again later.”

In our special radio report, Top 3 for 2015, federal experts tell In Depth host Francis Rose what top three concepts, trends or priorities they believe will be important in 2015.

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