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would include partnerships between acquisition and requirements and among acquisition, technology and the operating communities, “so all those communities are working together to help speed transi- tion of technology back to the warfighter.”
THE IMPORTANCE OF COMPETITION Kendall also emphasized the value of competition. “It’s the best single thing we can do to get costs down for the govern- ment.” He quickly noted that competition is not always possible, “but where we can … have head-to-head, direct competi- tion, we’ll continue to create what I call
‘competitive environments’ ” in which companies have to “worry about some- body taking your business.” Tat, he said, keeps companies on their toes and makes them better—not only for DOD but for their other customers as well.
Gansler agreed, noting several studies showing that competition among ven- dors during the 1960s and 1970s had reduced net costs by 12-50 percent. He also pointed up the difference between the way that DOD procures
services
and materiel, joking, “Do you think that buying an engineer is the same as buy- ing a tank? … You don’t put the engineer through live-fire testing.” Buying tanks, services and information technology are vastly different, he said, and there should be different practices and policies for each. However, “all of our practices, all of our policies are built around buying goods, and yet more than 50 percent of dollars go to buying services.”
According to Kendall, the procurement of services will continue to get a lot of attention. “I think we’re making prog- ress,” he said, “but there’s more to be done.” Small business will continue to be a part of that, he said, as well as a part of pushing innovation.
FILLING THE GAP
SSG Jason Mitchell works with CW2 John Galeotos during the 2014 Cyber Shield exercise at the Professional Education Center in North Little Rock, AR, May 2. While DAWDF and other measures have been effective in improving the professionalism and training of the acquisition workforce, attention must be focused on replacing retiring members with qualified, experienced personnel. (Photo by CPT Kyle Key)
THE PROFESSIONAL WORKFORCE In improving the professionalism of the workforce, Kendall said, the Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act requirements have become bureaucratic, and he’d like to do away with some of the
“check-the-box approach to demonstrat- ing proficiency in acquisition.” He’d like to see more meaningful ways to demon- strate proficiency. Acquisition, he said, is a fundamentally “human endeavor” that requires great professionalism and exper- tise to do well. “Tat’s true across a lot of career fields. It starts in engineering and engineering management and program management. … Tere are a number of places where professionalism really matters.”
Integral to the development of that professionalism, he said, is the contin- ued funding “of DAWDF, the Defense Acquisition Workforce Development Fund. …Tis fund has become so impor- tant for building professionalism. It was used initially to increase the size of the workforce. It is being used now to make key hires for key losses. …It’s also being used now a lot for training, for improving professionalism. DAWDF is enormously valuable to us. So we don’t need as large a fund…but keeping it going, I think, is a very, very helpful thing.”
Gansler expressed concern about the loss of qualified acquisition professionals,
“not just for DOD but across the overall government. …Te aging workforce is …
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