Benefits and Background

The benefits of using our services for acquisition support are as follows:

commitment to customer service
timely awards
knowledgeable acquisition experts
competitive service charges

	Click Here to view David Sutfin, Chief, Procurement and Support Services Division, sharing his vision of government procurement and the foundation of GovWorks.

Service vs. Regulations -- We believe government must radically change to respond to the challenges it faces in the coming decades. When Federal managers still struggle to run billion dollar programs without the resources and systems they need after all the tinkering of the 90s, we must rethink the underlying assumptions about how acquisition services are provided. Government must create procurement organizations that continuously evolve to meet customer's service expectations and to reduce the cost of government.

Our Challenge -- There is little doubt many Federal managers believe the procurement process is difficult and that it will always be that way. It's tolerated, rarely appreciated. To change this perception, we began offering acquisition services to Federal agencies on a service-for-fee basis. The customer would be free to leave if not satisfied with service and price. Additionally, if we fail to meet the customer's expectations, we run the risk of losing our "license" to continue operating as a Franchise Fund.

Best Value -- It is our belief the marketplace will reward "best-value" acquisition service providers with more business. The significance for government as a whole is enormous. If acquisition services are freely competed and cost effective, government can continue to meet its obligations to its citizens without increasing its administrative overhead. In the end, the Federal government will spend a greater share of the tax dollars to support its citizens and a smaller share to support government operating expenses.

Removing the Barriers -- Federal managers have many demands placed upon them every day. They must contend with limited resources, time constraints, the agency's internal and external customer's expectations and congressional oversight. We chose to make the Federal manager's work easier by being an active participant in the acquisition process.

Our solution was to remove the barriers they typically encountered when seeking acquisition services. We chose to make the Federal manager's work easier by being an active participant in the acquisition process. Their clients expect products and services that meet their expectations. Their clients want prompt and courteous services. They should expect no less from us. We work with them and their clients to ensure there is seamless delivery of acquisition services. We listen to their expectations and we meet them. Oftentimes, we exceed their expectations. When we do, they return with more business.

Our Contracting Officers have unlimited authority to award contracts. They use a combination of new and existing contracts to best support their clients. Each Contracting Officer is responsible for meeting their client's expectations and delivering the very best acquisition services. We will support any Federal agency through a long-term partnership or on a single transaction basis.

Our clients are more comfortable working on acquisition projects with Federal employees than commercial firm employees. When planning an acquisition they like having solutions discussed with them rather being dictated to them. They want an acquisition expert who is knowledgeable and courteous, somebody who can explain the full acquisition process and is willing to work closely with them once the acquisition begins. Our contracting officers are senior contract specialists who understand the complexities of acquisition procedures and can guide the client in a cooperative way. They work closely with their clients to develop acquisition strategies tailored to the client's acquisition.

Finally, they want the cost of the service to be reasonable and unchanging. Services are priced at the beginning of the project. Our fixed service charge covers the cost of all of our services. The customer is not charged more if we underestimate the cost of service delivery. The customer knows our service charge will be the same at the start of the project and the end of the project. Some of our competitors charge their customers labor hour rates on a reimbursable basis. Others charge access fees to use their contracts. Some do both. There is no incentive to contain costs or find the best solution. Oftentimes a project manager is surprised by the eventual cost of services. Our customers like the predictability of our service charge: one price and no escalation.

We deliver quality acquisition services that meet our customer's expectations.