More contract cancellations on the way?

Other agencies might follow Veterans Affairs lead and begin canceling poor performing contracts.

to halt and perhaps cancel 45 contracts may just be the beginning. Other agencies might follow a similar path, according to a former government official I spoke with recently. As the so-called IT Dashboard gains traction, agencies will face increased pressure and public scrutiny of poor performing contracts. The dashboard, part of the Obama administration’s push for transparency, allows anyone to track and monitor the performance of information technology contracts. That added pressure will be just the thing to push agencies to cancel contracts. In fact, the fear of that pressure might speed up cancellations as agencies try to clean house early. Why let a poor performing languish and drive down your score? Hats off to VA Secretary Eric Shinseki and his chief information officer Roger Baker for being the first to make a move. For the companies that hold these poor performing contracts, now it the time to act. Either have a plan on how to improve, or be a trusted partner and help your customer shut them down.