Rapid Acquisition

Is Rapid Acquisition Dead?

For almost four decades, I’ve watched the ebb and flow of Federal Acquisition. I’ve stalked the patterns and cycles enough to be considered a visionary, or a psychic, or just an old-timer of a human archive who remembers all the struggles both the Government and Contractors have faced in that time and all the ways […]

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Civil Service Fork in the Road is a National Security Threat

National Security Threat: the Civil Service Fork in the Road

I’m hard-pressed to find anyone who thinks that “deferred resignations” or anything from the new OPM’s “Fork in the Road” initiative for civil servants is well-thought out—unless the plan was for utter chaos with a side of cruelty.  I say this as a swing voter who was a public servant under 10 administrations and saw reductions […]

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Budget Cuts leader

What DoD Budget Cuts Taught Me About Peanut Butter Spread

I haven’t been able to look at a jar of peanut butter in years.  Ever since a certain PEO turned peanut butter spread into a verb.  Not that the Program Executive Officer was a bad guy.  Not at all.  But as a Contracting Officer, I hated how he handled budget cuts. I don’t think he […]

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Burning Out the Workforce: Why Acquisition Needs to Apply Sustainability to People

Having spent an entire career in Acquisition, I’ve heard the word sustainability more than most humans I haven’t worked with.  Now I’m hearing it more outside of Acquisition than ever before. Isn’t it funny how we can apply the word sustainability to weapon systems and forget to apply it to people?  How often did I […]

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The Long-Term Value of Investing in Workforce Newbies

I’ve taken for granted how incredibly lucky I was when I was a Contracting intern and brand new Unlimited Contracting Officer as a GS 12 with barely 4 years’ experience.  Eons ago.  Back when dirt was new and fire was an emerging technology. I’m stopping to think about it only now when I’ve left the […]

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