Buying smart and using smart people to do it. That’s become a high priority for the federal government. It might seem as if the government never stops tinkering with the acquisition system. But that’s a good thing, considering the government spends hundred of billions of dollars a year on contractors.

Related Story: OFPP tells agencies to get serious about tracking contractor performance (Federal News Radio)

The General Services Administration tries to stay relevant by offering a variety of acquisition vehicles for federal agencies. Mary Davie keeps her ear to the ground. She’s the assistant commissioner of the Office of Integrated Technology Solutions. That’s part of GSA’s Federal Acquisition Service. Davie oversees 7,000 contracts.

Recent studies suggest winning a protest of a federal contract is close to winning the lottery. There’s not a big chance of either happening, but the payoffs can be big. The jitters remain, however, because losing protests can cost a lot of money for both contractors and agencies. That’s not something an agency under sequester wants to go through.