Federal Procurement Reform

Impact dates

1. Date TBD

   Agency reviews of procurement rules, programs, and IT acquisitions

2. Date TBD

   Establishment of career education programs and Procurement Executive designation

Key directives

• Review agency procurement rules, reporting requirements, contractual requirements, certification procedures, and other administrative procedures above statutory requirements and replace with guiding principles where practicable
• Review existing and planned agency programs to assure mission needs are met
• Ensure procurement organizations focus on measurable results and customer needs
• Increase use of commercially available items, emphasize past contractor performance, and promote best value over low cost
• Use simplified acquisition procedures to maximum extent practicable for procurements under simplified acquisition threshold
• Expand government purchase card use and delegate micro-purchase authority to using offices
• Establish clear lines of contracting authority and accountability
• Establish career education programs with mandatory training requirements for entry-level and promotion
• Designate Procurement Executive with agency-wide oversight responsibility
• Review IT acquisitions and contracts for best value and consider alternatives
• OPM to ensure personnel policies and classification standards meet procurement workforce needs
• OFPP Administrator to coordinate government-wide efforts, streamline guidance, identify system criteria, and submit legislative initiatives to resolve inconsistencies

Who is ordered

• heads of executive agencies · various
• Director of the Office of Personnel Management · OPM
• Administrator of the Office of Federal Procurement Policy · Office of Management and Budget
• Director of the Office of Management and Budget · Office of Management and Budget

Timeline

Risks & tensions

• No hard deadlines specified — all directives use 'where practicable' and 'to the maximum extent practicable,' creating implementation uncertainty
• Potential tension between streamlining and accountability requirements
• Career education mandates may face resistance from agencies with constrained training budgets
• Best value vs. low cost shift may increase subjective decision-making and contractor disputes
• Legislative initiative submission process (Sec. 3(d)) requires multi-layered coordination that could delay action