Daum's dream: Acquisition training for all
Federal acquisition got a fist-bump recently from a senior congressional staff member, saying everyone needs to be at least acquainted with the buying process because it’s the basis of how government operates.
“Whatever you’re doing, to understand how the government works today, you need to have a basic knowledge of how contracting works,” said Margaret Daum, staff director for the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee’s Contracting Oversight Subcommittee. She spoke at the Interagency Resources Management Conference on March 16.
“The way the government does business now is through acquisition,” she also said.
Understanding the process will help when officials begin setting up policies and programs and it gives a broader perspective, she said.
She quickly added that this is a personal mission, and not signed off on by her boss, Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.).
However, Daum is not hopeful about her dream to get that training to employees across government.
“It’s probably not going to happen in my lifetime.”
The dream may be too big.
Posted by Matthew Weigelt on Mar 17, 2011 at 8:13 AM