Agencies take different approaches to advocate competition

Competition advocates in federal agencies are required by law and regulation, but little is said about the job. Because of that, agencies have found different ways to set up the duties of the advocate and arrange the job’s place in the overall organization.

Under law and the Federal Acquisition Regulation, the advocates must promote competition in the agency and report to top acquisition officials about potential opportunities to compete work. They also recommend systems of personal and organizational accountability when it comes to competition for contracts.

Beyond that, the competition advocates look quite different. The Government Accountability Office talked to a number of agency officials about their competition advocates and their advocacy.

Placement

Agencies placed competition advocates high in their organizations. GAO wrote that the advocates should be senior officials in agencies or they’d get no respect. “The person in this role should have the clout to make difficult decisions,” according to GAO.

An Air Force competition advocate said people have to explain to him why a procurement needs to be sole-source award, and they are more likely to do things the right way and less likely to take shortcuts, because he's highly placed in the department.

Among agencies, some advocates are senior leaders in the acquisition arena. Others are senior officials on the management side of an agency.

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Background

Several competition advocates had been contracting officers and some program managers. One was involved in the operations side of the agency, and another served as an attorney to the agency.

The Interior Department’s advocate was a contingency contracting officer with the Army in Bosnia. That experience influences how she now reviews urgent and compelling requirements.

The Coast Guard’s competition advocate said he may ask different questions than a contracting officer because of his background as a program manager.

The Secret Service’s competition advocate has years of experience in operations but no experience as a contracting officer or a program manager. He works closely with the head of contracting, relying on her expertise and supporting her efforts to increase competition within the agency.

Skills

Agency officials told GAO that competition advocates may have suitable skill sets because of their backgrounds. Those skills enable them to recognize and question overly restrictive requirements, which could lead to an unnecessary sole-source contract. The advocates also need the personality to ask tough questions.

Methods

Competition advocates have different methods to go about their jobs. Many of them hold regular meetings with senior officials in that agency and other advocates in its different offices and bureaus.

The Homeland Security Department’s competition advocate recently investigated DHS' noncompetitive contract awards. The advocate found some contract files lacked required justifications for sole-source procurements.

Others offer recognition and awards — even for program managers — for efforts to increase competition. The Army's competition advocate said that service plans to add competition as a metric to the Army secretary’s award program, rewarding contracting offices that raised and exceeded their competition goals.

Competition advocates also try to get involved as early as possible in a procurement to have a greater influence on it.

Your Agency

GAO has given some insights into the work of a competition advocate. How has your agency set up its competition advocate?

Posted by Matthew Weigelt on Aug 27, 2010 at 12:27 PM