Acquisition issues await next president

Americans go to the polls thisweek, and after the votes arecounted, one of the most extensiveU.S. government transitions will beunder way. Although the outcome is notyet known, some realities ? and relatedimperatives ? are becoming clear.In September, Democratic presidentialcandidate Barack Obama gave a speechin Green Bay, Wis., in which he outlinedthe key elements of his managementagenda. Although Republican presidentialcandidate John McCain has notgiven a speech specifically focused onmanagement issues, his record and manycomments he made before and duringthe campaign offer pretty good insightinto his priorities.Obama's speech was reasonably balanced.Consistent with his views on governmentin general, he spoke aboutincreasing the transparency and accountabilityof government operations and theneed for a greater focus on performance.He also advocated creating a federalchief technology officer position, whichwould build on the Bush administration'sprogress on e-government initiatives.Contrary to some headlines, Obama didnot call for reducing contractors per se.Rather, he asserted that some $40 billion? less than 10 percent of all contractingdollars ? could be saved throughimproved contracting procedures.It appears that McCain shares some ofObama's views. He co-sponsoredObama's latest government transparencylegislation. And, as shown in part by hisoutspoken and long-standing views onfixed-price contracting, McCain also hasstrong feelings about accountability incontracting and government in general.McCain is the only candidate to speakdirectly to the issue of outsourcing, ofwhich he is a strong proponent, but acareful look at Obama's managementagenda suggests that the role of the privatesector would also increase on hiswatch. For one, his goal of dramaticallyincreasing the use of technology toimprove government performance at alllevels and his focus on cybersecuritywould require a strong and likelyenhanced public/private partnership.In other words, both candidatesappear to recognize the new face of government.And therein lie two key imperativesthat must be at the forefront of thenext administration's agenda.First and foremost is the need to genuinelyempower and enable the federalacquisition workforce. That communityplays a vital role in the execution of anincreasing range of critical governmentmissions. Neither candidate can achievehis agenda without that workforce. Yetthe community has been undervaluedand lacking in sufficient resources fortoo long. It's not just about numbers.It's about doing the tough but necessarywork of evaluating ? and changing,where necessary ? current agencymanagement structures; linking andbuilding the broad skill sets involved inacquisition, including program management;and elevating the stature ofthat workforce in a way that acknowledgesits unique role.Second, this is the time to open a newdialogue on how to improve contractingand acquisition. For the past two years,harsh partisan rhetoric and legislationby headline have dominated the discussion.As a new administration takesoffice, a real opportunity exists to open ahealthier and more substantive discussionthan has been possible of late. It islong overdue.Government management agendashave little influence on who wins elections,but they have a direct effect on thegovernment's relative success or failure inmeeting the vast array of mission challengesit faces and restoring public confidencein government itself. Both campaignshave given us reason to be optimisticthat the conversation is moving inthe right direction. When it comes timefor the winner to govern, that conversationmust continue.