How Can Government Buying Match the Best in Business?

Submitted by on Fri, 12/22/2017 - 13:02

Background. Category Management is used by businesses and governments around the world to better manage their common purchases.  The approach involves defining a clear strategy for spending on common items or services within a category, which in turn leverages buying power across the entire category to generate a price discount, additional services that reduce total cost of ownership, and other sources of value.  As such, category management encourages individual agencies to buy from common contracting vehicles and enable purchasing decisions to be managed centrally by spec

Weekly Roundup: October 10 - 14, 2016

Submitted by on Fri, 12/22/2017 - 12:59

John Kamensky

GAO on Open Innovation. GAO has released a new report that says: “We identified 7 practices that agencies can use to effectively engage the public when using open innovation tools.”

Establishing The Center’s Leadership Fellow

Submitted by on Fri, 12/22/2017 - 12:58

Government leaders today have an opportunity to address serious public management issues that go to the core of effective governance and leadership, meeting seemingly intractable problems head-on.  Complex public sector challenges do not follow orderly and linear processes, and governments operate in an environment of limited resources while responsibilities seem to have increased (e.g., homeland security, home loan modifications, cybersecurity).

Vice Admiral Jack Dorsett: Strengthening the U.S. Navy’s Information Dominance for the 21st Century

Submitted by on Fri, 12/22/2017 - 12:55

In an increasingly interconnected and networked world, information possesses such significant power that it can no longer be viewed simply as an enabler to meeting one’s mission. Whether in business or defending the nation, information can act as a serious differentiator for those who leverage it and use it to their competitive advantage. The U.S.

Journey of Discovery: Interview with Dr. Ellen Stofan, NASA Chief Scientist

Submitted by on Fri, 12/22/2017 - 12:54

NASA leads the nation on a great journey of discovery, seeking new knowledge and understanding of our Earth, sun, solar system, and the universe— out to its farthest reaches and back to its earliest moments of existence.

To do this, it invests on the order of $3 billion annually in fundamental and applied research and technology development across a broad range of topics, including space and earth sciences, life and physical sciences, human health, aeronautics, and technology.

Weekly Round-up: December 17, 2010

Submitted by on Fri, 12/22/2017 - 12:53

Gadi Ben-Yehuda

Weekly Roundup: October 17 - 21, 2016

Submitted by on Fri, 12/22/2017 - 12:51

Artificial Intelligence to Benefit Government and Society.  Federal News Radioreports that the federal government spends about $1 billion a year on R&D for artificial intelligence.  The White House has put out a strategic plan to develop guidance in seven areas, such as shared data and workforce needs.

The Future of Government Digital Services – Part II

Submitted by on Fri, 12/22/2017 - 12:48

This post will build on an earlier post, which looked at the future of digital government, by including insights from the “Innovation in the Next Administration” event hosted by Georgetown’s McCourt School of Public Policy and the Beeck Center for Social Impact and Innovation on October 6th.

Getting to "Yes" or "No" - Faster

Submitted by on Fri, 12/22/2017 - 12:44

The Obama Administration first faced this dilemma when implementing the 2009 Recovery Act and launched an effort in 2011 to untangle the nest of 35 sets of permitting and review responsibilities across 18 different agencies.  It concluded, drolly, that the interplay among these different statutory requirements “is challenging and can sometimes result in uncertainty.”

 

Weekly Roundup: October 24 - 28, 2016

Submitted by on Fri, 12/22/2017 - 12:42

OMB IT Guidance Revealed.  Federal News Radio reports: “The Office of Management and Budget has played it close to the vest when it comes to guidance on IT modernization, but it’s finally showing some of its cards. . . . In an Oct.

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