[March 11, 2014]

DHS Chief Procurement Officer Nick Nayak and Assistant Secretary of Defense (Acquisition) Katrina McFarland to Headline Acquisition Excellence 2014

The American Council for Technology-Industry Advisory Council (ACT-IAC (News - Alert)) the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA (News - Alert)) and the Department of Homeland Security today announced that DHS Chief Acquisition Officer Nick Nayak will provide the opening remarks at Acquisition Excellence 2014, (AE 2014) a one-day education and training event that will explore how agencies can progress to a more modern acquisition environment with innovative approaches. The Assistant Secretary of Defense (Acquisition), Katrina McFarland, will serve as the keynote speaker. The event will be held on March 20, 2014, at the Grand Hyatt Washington in Washington, D.C.

"It's important for members of the Acquisition community -- the contracting officers, the contractors, and the program managers -- to come together to discuss ways that we can best collaborate to deliver the products and services the federal government needs to serve the American people," said Anne Rung, Associate Administrator of GSA's Office of Government-wide Policy and Chief Acquisition Officer. "At Acquisition Excellence 2014, we are ensuring that the workforce has the latest tools and necessary training to meet the challenges of today."

AE 2014 focuses on the need for agencies to be agile in the increasingly rapid acquisition environment to ensure service excellence. Featured speakers include Lisa Schlosser, Deputy Associate Administrator in the Office of E-Government and Inforation Technology, OMB; Patricia McNall, Chief Acquisition Officer; Paul Brubaker, Director, Planning and Performance Management, Department of Defense; Joanne Woytek, Program Manager, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Solutions for Enterprise-Wide Procurement (SEWP) Program; Michael Smith (News - Alert), Director, Strategic Sourcing Program Office, DHS; Lesley Field, Deputy Administrator for Federal Procurement Policy, Office of Management and Budget; and Rob Coen, Acting Director, National Institutes of Health Information Technology Acquisition and Assessment Center among others. Attendees will receive continuing education units for their participation in this education and training event.

"Over the past year there has been heightened scrutiny around the federal acquisition process resulting in a need for greater collaboration towards efficient and effective procurement," said Al Burman, President, Jefferson Consulting Group and AE 2014 industry co-chair. "AE 2014 is a unique forum to discuss those needed strategies to eliminate roadblocks in the procurement process and develop actionable ideas that will have measurable impact on the federal government."

AE 2014 tracks and sessions will be centered around strategic and operational topical issues that will cover the full spectrum of federal IT acquisition critical to achieving the common vision of a more agile and efficient government.

Operational Tracks

• Leveraging Transparent Procurement Data: What's in it for Me? - This session will focus on timely and important updates on initiatives by Congress and executive agencies to improve data transparency in government procurement.
• Being an Acquisition Superhero: Your Role in Protecting the Nation's Cyber Infrastructure - This session will discuss the recent federal mandates and recommendations for incorporating security standards into acquisition planning and contract administration.
• Exposing the Truth: Relationship Between Protests and Debriefings - This session will focus on how to improve government and industry collaboration in an effort to reduce protest actions through more effective debriefings.

Strategic Tracks:

• Acquisition of Agile (News - Alert) IT Services: It CAN be Done! - This session will discuss challenges to creating an acquisition strategy to procure agile IT services and solutions.
• You Say This, We Hear That… How Industry and Government Perspectives Differ on Acquisition Issues - This session will provide insight on how often government and industry perceptions on the same situations differ and drive acquisition decisions.
• Why Did You Do That? Lifting the Veil on Decision Making - This session will be an open dialogue to discuss specific acquisition strategies that will have tangible results in improving government and industry collaboration.

In addition, the Acquisition Excellence 2014 Awards, sponsored by the Chief Acquisition Officers Council (CAOC), will recognize federal employees who have achieved exceptional results in the following acquisition categories: Innovation, Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) Excellence, Strategic Sourcing and Small Business Contracting.

For more information or to register, please visit: https://actiac.org/events/AE2014. For sponsorship or exhibiting information, please contact Judy Fry at (703) 208-4800 ext. 205 or [email protected].

About ACT-IAC - Advancing Government Through Education, Collaboration and Action

ACT-IAC is the premier public-private partnership in the government IT community and an example of how government and industry work together. ACT-IAC is a nonprofit educational organization created to advance government through collaboration and education. The organization provides an objective, vendor and technology-neutral and ethical forum where government and industry are working together to develop innovative strategies, effective and efficient solutions and best practices. Headquartered in the Greater Washington, D.C. area, ACT-IAC also has chapters in Pacific region (based in San Diego) and the Rocky Mountain region (based in Denver).

Learn more about our organization and how to become a member at http://www.actiac.org or call (703) 208-4800.

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