Efficiently articulating agency needs is the cornerstone of successful acquisitions. Despite its seeming simplicity, this skill often perplexes even the most seasoned planners, requirement generators, and engineers. The ability to describe requirements in clear, understandable terms is surprisingly rare. It is so important, it warrants its own section in the Federal Acquisition Regulation, FAR Part 11. Contracting professionals must prioritize training their clients in crafting precise requirements to streamline the contracting process further.
In 2020, our Regional Contracting Office faced a period where incomplete and vague requirement definitions were the norm. Our inability to award a timely contract due to the lack of proper requirement definition was affecting our reputation and, and more importantly, our Commander’s mission.
Timely delivery of agency needs via commercial channels is a point of pride for most acquisition professionals. Procurement Action Lead Team (PALT) serves as the metric for measuring this competency, also influencing resource allocation when PALT exceeds acceptable levels. As a critical function in effective mission success, a contracting office strives to fulfill requirements that support its agency’s mission while also making sound business decisions. Accurate timelines for requirements submission allow agencies to carefully plan to fulfill their requirements.
While the Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act (DAWIA) mandates and dictates the professional development for acquisition and contracting personnel, it overlooks the training needs of clients or requirement generators. While it is available, completing this training is not mandatory for customers or requirement generators before beginning the acquisition process. This knowledge gap becomes evident with every purchase request package received by a contracting office. These packages must not only justify a need but also provide a clear, specific description of it. To aid clients, FAR Part 11 stipulates that descriptions must enable and encourage the use of commercial products and services. While capturing the intent, it falls short as a comprehensive guide for upcoming requirement generators and may lead to confusion. A more effective way to ensure the customers receive the training is for a contracting office to create their own training program. This will ultimately improve the acquisition process.
When our Regional Contracting Office established a training program, it was met with skepticism at first. This training focused on the contracting process, statutory competition requirements, and accurate language when describing a requirement. By targeting our biggest customers first, we ensured that the training provided would stick. The improvement was immediate, and our customers felt more involved in the process than ever before.
Effective acquisition teams include not only the buyers, but also informed customers. Customers must understand requirements definition and the acquisition process; this knowledge strengthens relationships and ensures that agencies receive precisely what they need. This leads to clear mission success, benefiting all members of the acquisition team.
Without the support of their customers, an acquisition team cannot be successful in accomplishing its core mission. Investing in the proper training of requirement generators must become a priority of any acquisition team.