FAIR Launches “Point of View” Series with Essay on Restructuring Acquisition Workforc

Part of mission to spur dialogue and challenge conventional thinking

Washington DC – Fulfilling their mission to present thought provoking ideas in order to challenge conventional thinking and spur dialogue, the Federal Acquisition Innovation and Reform Institute (FAIR) today launched the “Point of View Series” with an essay by Board Member David J. Litman titled, “A Call to Restructure the Acquisition Workforce.” The essays that will be part of this series do not represent official views of FAIR, but are the points of views of the authors.

“We want to provide a forum for thought leaders in government, industry and the non-profit sector to engage in a dialogue on issues facing the federal acquisition community,” said Raj Sharma, President of FAIR. “We encourage people to read the points of view essays and respond with their own thoughts. FAIR believes in engaging all stakeholders because it’s through collaboration and cooperation that we will solve our most complex problems.”

The Point of View essays can be found on the FAIR website at thefairinstitute.org and will be posted on a regular basis over the coming months.

The first essay by David Litman makes several recommendations for restructuring the acquisition workforce in light of the fact that acquisition is a target field for insourcing by the current administration. Litman writes, “The first priority should be strengthening the capabilities of the acquisition workforce in the pre-award and post award arenas as opposed to the types of contracting process issues currently being discussed.” Litman advocates for the creation of a single acquisition job series that encompasses at least three functions, “program management, contracting and a new function called requirements management.” The entire essay can be found at thefairinstitute.org.

The FAIR Institute is a nonpartisan, nonprofit* organization being led by several leaders in acquisition and supply management. The Board of Directors consists of the leaders in acquisition and supply management from private industry, government and academia including Raj Sharma, President/CEO of Censeo Consulting Group, Dr. Allan V. Burman, Co-Chair of the FAIR Board, former Administrator of the Office of Federal Procurement Policy and President of Jefferson Solutions, David Nelson, former Senior Executive in Procurement with Honda of America and chair emeritus of the Institute of Supply Management, David Litman former Senior Procurement Executive for the U.S. Department of Transportation, and Joseph Sandor, Hoagland-Metzler Professor of Supply Chain Management at Michigan State University, one of the leading supply chain programs in the world. The Institute’s priorities include providing input and recommendations to decision makers within OMB, Congress and federal agencies on comprehensive acquisition and workforce reform as well as implementation of the stimulus funding.

FAIR plans to continue publishing research, bring together policy makers through conferences and events, and act as resources for Congressional leaders as they address the issue of acquisition reform.