1. FAR (e)
“… If a policy or procedure, or a particular strategy or practice, is in the best interest of the Government and is not specifically addressed in the FAR, nor prohibited by law (statute or case law), Executive order or other regulation, Government members of the Team should not assume it is prohibited. Rather, absence of direction should be interpreted as permitting the Team to innovate and use sound business judgment that is otherwise consistent with law and within the limits of their authority. Contracting officers should take the lead in encouraging business process innovations and ensuring that business decisions are sound.”
FAR (c)(2)
“The cost to the taxpayer of attempting to eliminate all risk is prohibitive. The Executive Branch will accept and manage the risk associated with empowering local procurement officials to take independent action based on their professional judgment.”
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2. Wear Your Thinking Cap and Enter the “Safe Zone” for Innovative Ideas
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3. DHS PIL - HOW
Innovative source-selection techniques can significantly shorten time-to-award, e.g., oral presentations, on-the-spot consensus evaluations, two‑stage down‑select, prototyping, or your own innovations.
PIL will take managed risks to produce refined and repeatable modular procurement techniques, which can be applied in various IT and non-IT acquisitions. It will do so by:
Engaging in a continuous cycle of (1) testing, (2) feedback, & (3) refining;
Sharing success/failure stories;
Offering training and designation through the Homeland Security Acquisition Institute (e.g., “Shu-ha-ri” credentials for "Innovation Practitioners/Coaches/Masters");
Collaborating with external groups, such as U.S. Digital Services, HHS Buyers Club, GSA’s 18F program, and the Acq Innovation Advocate (AIA) Council.
PIL will advance DHS mission delivery by:
Lowering entry barriers for innovative, non-traditional contractors to compete for DHS business opportunities;
Shortening time-to-award, which will open more time for government and industry to focus on tasks, not administration;
Increasing probabilities of successful performance by focusing on vendors' actual capabilities and not their writing skills, which will save taxpayer dollars and enhance the department's public image.
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4. Procurement Innovation Lab (PIL) ConOps – HOW & WIIFM
EXPERIMENTING
INSTITUTIONALIZING
Identify test projects
PIL innovation coach engages w/ IPT to assist on acquisition strategy
IPT records 15-min smartphone video or 1- pager describing innovation techniques to be applied and expected benefits
PIL innovation coach and IPT conduct bi- weekly 15-min “Sprint Chat” until completion
IPT/PIL receives post-award customer feedback and
IPT captures lessons-learned
Select IPTs share detailed case studies on innovative techniques via HSAI Learning Cafe
Individuals choosing to fulfill certain learning events can earn the designation of DHS “Innovation Coach” and “Innovation Master”
Innovation Coaches/Maters coach IPTs in new PIL projects
Engage and exchange innovations w/ external innovators
Agile Acquisitions ?
Need
Proc. Request
Contract Award
Closeout/
Disposal
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5. Projects E3ASE (Einstein 3 Accelerated Service Extension)
Safe Zone - Safe Zone - Safe Zone
Safe Zone - Safe Zone - Safe Zone
E3ASE (Einstein 3 Accelerated Service Extension)
JETS (Joint Engineering Teams - Sustainment)
S&T Innovation Broad Agency Announcement (BAA)
Closeout Procedures for Low Risk Contracts
RFI (5/25): Flexible Agile Support for the Homeland
Safe Zone - Safe Zone - Safe Zone - Safe Zone – Safe Zone Zone
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