Jerry McGinn

Costello College of Business Faculty Media Mentions

COVID-19 Response: An Initial Review

Charles Dolgas — Fri, 25 Mar 2022 19:50:21 +0000

COVID-19 Response: An Initial Review Charles Dolgas Fri, 03/25/2022 - 15:50

An initial review of the COVID-19 response.

This report provides updates on

The Defense Production Act and its implications for the COVID-19 response
Emergency package funding
COVID-19 contract information and opportunities
How to navigate contracting during the crisis

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COVID-19: Federal Contracting Response and Industry Impact

Charles Dolgas — Fri, 25 Mar 2022 19:46:13 +0000

COVID-19: Federal Contracting Response and Industry Impact Charles Dolgas Fri, 03/25/2022 - 15:46

Executive Director Jerry McGinn & Research Fellow Eric Lofgren compiled and analyzed data from the federal response to COVID-19.

This white paper focuses on four parts of the response:

The federal response.
Industry impact.
Contract tools.
Operation Warp Speed & supply chains.

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COVID-19 Response: Executive Update

Charles Dolgas — Fri, 25 Mar 2022 19:40:02 +0000

COVID-19 Response: Executive Update Charles Dolgas Fri, 03/25/2022 - 15:40

Provides updates and trends in the federal response to COVID;

U.S. government guidance, the Defense Production Act, and provisions of the CARES Act
Contract data
Business opportunities

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COVID-19 Response: Contracting with Speed

Charles Dolgas — Fri, 25 Mar 2022 19:36:05 +0000

COVID-19 Response: Contracting with Speed Charles Dolgas Fri, 03/25/2022 - 15:36

Focuses on the performance of FAR and non-FAR authorities in the COVID response to date:

Rapid contracting approaches in federal contracting
Acquisition Reform
FAR and Non-FAR contracts

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Read the Full Report here.

COVID-19 Response: Contract Data Update

Charles Dolgas — Fri, 25 Mar 2022 19:28:32 +0000

COVID-19 Response: Contract Data Update Charles Dolgas Fri, 03/25/2022 - 15:28

Update and trends from the Center for Government Contracting on the COVID-19 response:

What the U.S. government has purchased to respond to the pandemic;
Which contracting approaches have been used over the course of the response; and
COVID-19 contracts using Defense Production Act Titles I and III

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Center for Government Contracting Event Recap

Webinar On-Demand: Acquisition Next: Opening Programs Up to Modularity and Iteration

Charles Dolgas — Wed, 09 Mar 2022 15:46:27 +0000

Webinar On-Demand: Acquisition Next: Opening Programs Up to Modularity and Iteration Charles Dolgas Wed, 03/09/2022 - 10:46

In This Story

John G. (Jerry) McGinn

In the first of a two-part series, this Center webinar focuses on three Program-Level Plays in the Acquisition Next Playbook: Adaptive Requirements, Continuous Market Research, and Master the Baseline.

A couple years ago, the GAO reported that the average age of a major defense acquisition program was more than 14 years old. Most of these programs were planned and approved before mobile or cloud technologies were available. How can cost, schedule, and performance adapt to reflect new opportunities offered by the marketplace, or respond to an innovating enemy, in relevant cycle times?

How can program officials structure their requirements to be adaptive over time?
Is flexibility only in Other Transactions or Middle Tier Acquisition projects, or does it work for traditional programs?
Should program offices build their own market research capabilities, or use centralized functions?
What does it mean for government to “own” or “master” the technical baseline?
What can program officials do today to accelerate capability delivery?

This discussion will focus on three Program-Level Plays in the AcquisitionNext Playbook:

Background Information

Acquisition Next: A Playbook to Break the Industrial Age Paradigm, Center for Government Contracting

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You don’t need to rewrite acquisition regulations to improve DoD buying

Charles Dolgas — Wed, 09 Mar 2022 14:53:35 +0000

You don’t need to rewrite acquisition regulations to improve DoD buying Charles Dolgas Wed, 03/09/2022 - 09:53

Center Executive Director Jerry McGinn wrote a commentary for Defense News, "You Don’t Need to Rewrite Acquisition Regulations to Improve DoD Buying."

The Department of Defense’s increased engagement with commercial companies in recent years clearly demonstrates the critical role these and other technologies will play in future military systems. Unfortunately, DoD has struggled to adopt commercial technology at scale, in large part due to its industrial-age acquisition practices.

Getting to this objective end state requires first and foremost a change in mindset, a paradigm shift. At the Center for Government Contracting, we call this mindset Acquisition Next. Our final report suggests a way to implement the Acquisition Next mindset through a series of “plays” or leading practices in defense acquisition programs.

The first three apply at the total program level:

Requirements. Focus on short statements of outcomes to increase flexibility in solution design and create a stakeholder process for requirements iteration over time.
Market research. Develop an organizational capability for continuously engaging with industry to identify technologies and vendors that can increase program value.
Master the baseline. Determine which system elements are technically separable and pursue traditional contracting approaches for technologies with slower cycle times while faster moving applications receive modular contracts.

These practices enable the second group of three plays, which are suited to contracts with software intensive content:

Agile work statements. Separate technical direction from contract requirements and use a living roadmap adjusted to the product backlog and user feedback.
Modular Contracts. Start with broad and flexible solicitations, then transition to multiple-award contract vehicles with recurring task orders and streamlined procedures.
·Intellectual Property. Rather than focus on specific standards, influence a microservices architecture with rights to interfaces and operational data.

Rad the commentary at Defense News.

Acquisition Next: A Playbook to Break the Industrial Age Paradigm

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