Govies and industry need to keep talking, procurement exec urges

The Federal Acquisition Regulation and the Obama administration's policies give contracting officers “a bit of cover” when they decide to interact with industry in the early phases of an acquisition, a senior procurement official said Dec. 1, according to a report in Government Executive.

During a panel discussion hosted by the Congressional Smart Contracting Caucus, Lesley Field, soon to be the acting administrator of the Office of Federal Procurement Policy, said industry has a lot of information to aid agencies in their acquisitions.

Nevertheless, contracting officers often fear a misstep that causes a losing bidder to protest a contract award. Despite that, “there is no need to chill the dialogue,” she said.