Acquisition 2.0 in action

Acquisition 2.0 ideas are taking hold in federal contracting circles. People are beginning to collaborate to find answers to the questions they wrestle with, and more people are providing their solutions.

“These tools will help innovate and streamline processes by having a more collaborative environment for decision-making,” said Jaime Gracia, vice president of federal services at Concepts and Strategies, a strategic communications company.

Here are a few examples of the Acquisition 2.0 tools the acquisition community is using.

GovLoop Acquisition 2.0 discussion group

Federal executives, consultants, contractors and former federal employees share their experiences and offer suggestions on a range of topics, from hiring practices to saving money.

Better Buy Project

This discussion group is exploring ways to improve the early stages of an acquisition, such as market research and defining a contract’s requirements. The purpose is to find innovative ways to enable the government and industry to connect and find solutions together. More importantly, the General Services Administration has said it will test the most promising ideas in future contracts.

Online training, virtual mentoring

Companies are putting their training resources online so that busy acquisition employees can take courses when their schedules permit. Agencies have been recording interviews with experienced acquisition employees and sharing the videos with newer employees so they can benefit from their predecessors' expertise.

Strategic sourcing

Many experts say the government doesn't take full advantage of its ability to buy in bulk by eliminating multiple contract awards for the same product or service. Acquisition officials call it strategic sourcing.