One path to address this imperative involves a buying reform widely used in the commercial world and other countries – notably the United Kingdom – called “category management.” Given its potential for driving reform and reducing unnecessary spending, category management is increasingly seen as one of the U.S. federal government’s top Cross-Agency Priority Goals.
Steven Kelman is the Albert J. Weatherhead II and Richard W. Weatherhead Professor of Public Management at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. He is the author of many books and articles on the policy-making process and on improving the management of government organizations. His latest book, Unleashing Change: A Study of Organizational Change in Government, was published in June 2005 by the Brookings Institution Press.
Mr. Wagner was a Senior Fellow of the IBM Center for The Business of Government. Mr. Wagner joined the Center after 31 years of public service. He had most recently restructured and ran GSA's Federal Acquisition Service - the largest government organization delivering acquisition, technology, and management services to federal agencies.
John Kamensky Series of Articles on Procurement Reform. Federal News Radio asks: “Is it time for fresh procurement reform or just a rereading of existing law?” And its staff has responded with over a dozen stories over the course of the week, covering more discrete topics such as a 20-year timeline of reforms, pointers on program management, the importance of leadership and organizational culture, and more. A great collection, worth the time of anyone trying to understand the breadth of issues involved. Cathleen Garman, Designated Expert.
How is the Federal Acquisition Service managing in an era of fiscal constraint? Steven Kempf, Commissioner of GSA’s Federal Acquisition Service joins me this week on The Business of Government Hour to explore these questions and so much more.
FAS Commissioner Steve Kempf on the value of a centralized provider as GSA:
Challenges facing GSA’s Federal Acquisition Service
What is the value of a centralized provider, like GSA, and its Federal Acquisition Service? How does the Federal Acquisition Service foster government operations that are effective, sustainable, and transparent? How is the Federal Acquisition Service managing in an era of fiscal constraint?
We are pleased to announce our latest round of awards for new reports on key public sector challenges, which respond to priorities identified in the Center's research agenda. Our content is intended to stimulate and accelerate the production of practical research that benefits public sector leaders and managers.
We expect the following reports to be published later in 2017. Short summaries of each report follow:
Cloud computing, social networks, identity … the promise of new technologies to help Federal agencies reach their goals is stronger than ever. At the same time, agencies and contractors who want innovation to bring change are often stymied by lengthy, complex government processes, including those for hiring or training good IT Program Managers, requesting funds though the Federal Budget (a 2-year cycle), and doing an acquisition once the funds are awarded. Add to this an environment where government and industry see more reasons not to talk to reach other about risks and rewards than they
