Procurement Round Table​

SERVING FEDERAL ACQUISITION EXCELLENCE SINCE 1984

Who We Are

We are a non-profit, non-partisan organization that cares deeply about the federal acquisition system. We are private citizens who serve pro bono to advise and assist the government in improving federal acquisition.

As Round Table Directors, we apply our recognized experiences in federal acquisition. We include former senior federal government officials from the executive and legislative branches who currently serve as private sector CEOs or senior acquisition officials, university professors, consultants, heads of non-profits and associations, authors, commentators, and senior partners, attorneys and officers in major law firms and think tanks.

We come from a wide spectrum of legislative and executive agencies, including congressional staffs, the Office of Management and Budget, the General Services Administration, NASA, and Departments of Commerce, Defense, Energy, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Justice, Transportation, the Treasury, and Veterans Affairs. Check us out.

What We Do

  • We prepare and disseminate non-partisan studies and other publications regarding the general subject of procurement and acquisition activities or reform. We study the effects of policy on federal governance and private sector contractors.
  • We promote and sponsor discussions, invitation-only forums, lectures and debates addressing timely topics such as supply chain security and innovative procurement methods.
  • We promote and sponsor educational activities and awards in the public interest, concerning all aspects of procurement and acquisition.
CONTACT US

Officers

Directors

Directors Emeritus

A limited number of long-serving Directors, in recognition of their exemplary service to the PRT, may be elected by the Board as Directors Emeritus.

Alumni Directors

  • Allen, Edward L. (Larry)
  • Alston, Carolyn
  • Anderson, Frank
  • Babione, Dale
  • Bartlett, Charles
  • Bednar, Dick
  • Beggs, James
  • Besozzi, Paul
  • Branch, Elliott
  • Chu, David
  • Cowley, Robert
  • Crowell, Eldon
  • Daniero, Roger
  • DeMayo, Peter
  • Dembling, Paul (Director Emeritus)
  • Denett, Paul
  • Edwards, Vern
  • Evans, Stewart
  • Flavin, Sallie
  • Fox, J. Ronald
  • Gansler, Jacques
  • Gnazzo, Patrick
  • Ginman, Richard
  • Grinstead, Eugene
  • Guenther, Otto
  • Harrington, Ed
  • Harshbarger, Eugene
  • Hauenstein, Bill
  • Haugh, LeRoy
  • Hazlett, Stuart A.
  • Hiestand, O.S. (Director Emeritus)
  • Holland, Francis
  • Hopf, Richard
  • Hill, Eleanor
  • Horton, Frank
  • Hunter, Andrew
  • Hunter, William
  • Kaminski, Paul
  • Keevan, William
  • Kline, Raymond (Director Emeritus)
  • Korb, Lawrence
  • Kusserow, Richard
  • Lee, Deidre
  • Leisenring, Steve
  • Litman, David
  • Livingstone, Susan
  • McCabe, Kimberly (Kymm)
  • McFarland, Greg
  • McNally, William
  • McNaugher, Thomas
  • Madden, Thomas
  • Madsen, Marcia
  • Magnotti, John
  • Malloy, John M.
  • Marsh, Robert
  • Mitchell, Roy
  • Moot, Robert
  • Morris, Bill
  • Morris, Robert
  • Nelson, Shirl
  • Neuman, Frederick
  • Odeen, Philip
  • Oyer, Darrell
  • Preston, Colleen
  • Phillips, Samuel
  • Puritano, Vincent
  • Pursley, Robert
  • Reed, Anne
  • Rhodes, Edward
  • Robinson, Wallace
  • Rosen, Louis
  • Rothwell, Gregory
  • Sanders, Frank
  • Scott, Darryl A.
  • Scott, Robert
  • Shillito, Barry (Director Emeritus)
  • Shapiro, Nelson
  • Simpson, Ed
  • Sisti, Thomas R.
  • Sowle, Donald (Director Emeritus)
  • Staats, Elmer (Chairman Emeritus)
  • Stewart, Charles
  • Styles, Angela
  • Sullivan, Mike
  • Szervo, Patricia
  • Trimble, Robert F. (Director Emeritus)
  • Trosch, Dennis
  • Tuttle, Bill (Director Emeritus)
  • Welsh, Robert
  • Wharton, Donald
  • Witt, Hugh
  • Westermann, John
  • Wojciak, Melissa
  • Woolsey, James
  • Zobel, Wil

Speakers

2025

Mr. Larry Allen, Associate Administrator for Governmentwide Policy, GSA

Mr. Nicholas West, Deputy Director, Office of GSA Acquisition Policy, Integrity & Workforce

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Dr. Diane Janosek, CEO, Janos LLC

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Hon. Andrew P. Hunter, Former Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics

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2024

Ms. Hallie Coyne, Defense Policy Advisor to Rep. Rob Wittman (R-VA)
Mr. Ryan Lambert, Professional Staff Member, US House Committee on Small Business
Ms. Gina Marie Pizziconi, Professional Staff Member, US House Appropriations Committee Subcommittee on Defense
Mr. Peter Warren, Senior Advisor, US House Committee on Oversight and Accountability

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Hon. Frank Kendall, US Secretary of the Air Force

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Mr. Kraig Conrad, Chief Executive Officer, National Contract Management Association (NCMA)

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On September 5, 2024, PRT Hosted Forum: "AI: From Adoption to Application in Federal Acquisition"

Opening Remarks
Dr. Philip S. Anton, Chief Scientist of the Acquisition Innovation and Research Center (AIRC), Stevens Institute of Technology

Panel One: Adoption
Ms. Soraya Correa, President & CEO, National Industries for the Blind; Moderator and PRT Director
RADM Chris Bartz, Deputy Chief Information Officer, Department of Homeland Security
Ms. Michelle Benecke, Senior Counsel, U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs
Ms. Christine Harada, Senior Advisor for the Office of Federal Procurement Policy in the White House

Panel Two: Application
Mr. Trey Hodgkins, CEO and President of Hodgkins Consulting, LLC; Moderator and PRT Director
Ms. Megan Dake, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army (Procurement)
Mr. Reid Jackson, CEO, Unison Global
Ms. Lisa Romney, Director, Contracting eBusiness, Defense Pricing, Contracting, and Acquisition Policy, Office of the Secretary of Defense

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Hon. Ellen Lord, Vice Chair, Commission on Planning, Programming, Budgeting and Execution (PPBE) Reform

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Ms. Christine Harada, Senior Advisor for the Office of Federal Procurement Policy in the White House

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Ms. Melissa Connelly, Deputy Director, Maryland Procurement Office (National Security Agency)

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Michelle Benecke, Senior Counsel, U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs

Evie Freeman, Counsel, Majority Staff, U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs

Ann Shujath, Procurement Analyst, U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, on detail from the Office of the Chief Procurement Officer, Department of Homeland Security

Carter Hirschhorn, Research Assistant, Majority Staff, U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs

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Ms. Terri L. Dilly, Director, Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA)
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Hon. Peter Levine, Director, Defense Management Institute; PRT Director
Dr. Jason A. Dechant, Deputy Director, Defense Management Institute

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2023

Mr. Matthew R. Beebe, Director of Acquisition (J7), Defense Logistics Agency

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Mr. Bill Weinberg, Assistant Administrator for Contracting and Procurement and Head of Contracting Activity (HCA), Transportation Security Administration

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Panel discussion: “Impacts on Industry and Government Acquisition Organizations of Government Shutdowns and/or Operating under a Continuing Resolution”
Dr. Terry Raney, PRT Vice Chair and Panel Moderator
Hon. David Berteau, PRT Director and President/CEO Professional Services Council (PSC)
Dr. Gordon Bitko, Executive Vice-President of Policy, The Information Technology Industry Council (ITI)
Mr. Jordan Howard, Esq., Counsel, Associated General Contractors of America (AGC)

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On September 7, 2023, PRT Hosted Forum: "How to incentivize the Engine of Democracy... What tools do acquisition personnel need?"

Opening Remarks:
VADM Joseph W. Dyer, USN (Ret.), PRT Director
Mr. Peter Singer, Strategist and Senior Fellow at New America; Managing Partner, Useful Fiction LLC

Keynote Address: Inside the Building
Honorable Andrew Hunter, Assistant Secretary of the Air Force, Acquisition, Technology and Logistics

Panel One: Why it is important that we get the engine of democracy running again
Honorable Katharina McFarland (Moderator), PRT Director
Dr. Cynthia Cook, Director of the Defense-Industrial Initiatives Group, CSIS
Mr. Terry Mitchell, Senior Advisor, US Army G2
MG Patricia Frost, USA (Ret.), Senior Vice President and Chief People and Places Officer, Seagate Technologies

Panel Two: What we need to do to address the concerns from a tools and policy perspective
Mr. Stan Soloway (Moderator), President and CEO, Celero Strategies, LLC
Mr. Mark A. Franz, Co-founder, Blue Delta Capital Partners
Dr. Chris Michienzi, Supply Chain & Technology Specialist, Board and Strategic Advisor
Mr. Patrick Collins, Chief Growth Officer, Aeyon

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Mr. Shay Assad, Former Director, Defense Pricing and Acquisition Policy (DPAP), DoD; President of The Shay Consulting and Arcade Group, Inc.

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Maj Gen Ali Treviño, USAF, Deputy Assistant Secretary (Contracting), Department of the Air Force

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Mr. Tom McMurry, Jr., Deputy General Counsel, NASA
Ms. Karen Reilley, Associate General Counsel for Commercial and Intellectual Property, NASA

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Dr. Dinesh Verma, Professor of Systems Engineering and Executive Director, Systems Engineering Research Center (SERC), Stevens Institute of Technology
Dr. Philip S. Anton, Chief Scientist of the Acquisition Innovation and Research Center (AIRC), Stevens Institute of Technology

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Mr. Paul Courtney, Chief Procurement Officer, DHS
Ms. Shanna Webbers, Deputy Director, Acquisition Services Branch, FDIC
Ms. Penny White, Vice President Supply Chain for Defense, Space & Security, The Boeing Company

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Mr. Eric Lofgren, Senior Research Fellow, Center for Government Contracting, School of Business, George Mason University

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Mr. Jeffrey B. Birch, Director, Federal Acquisition Institute (FAI)
Mr. Kevin Linden, Center Director – Contracting & Small Business, Defense Acquisition University (DAU)

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2022

Mr. Chris Durbin, Assistant Director U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) Contracting and National Security Acquisitions Team

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FAR Council Signatories:

Ms. Karla Jackson-Smith, Senior Procurement Executive, Deputy Chief Acquisition Officer and Assistant Administrator for Procurement, NASA
Mr. Jeffrey A. Koses, Senior Procurement Executive, GSA; interim Chairman of the AbilityOne Commission
Mr. John Tenaglia, Principal Director, Defense Pricing and Contracting, DoD

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On September 8, 2022, PRT Hosted Forum: "Competition: Real or Memorex®"

Panel: Impact of Competing Priorities on Competition
Dave Drabkin (Moderator): Chair, Procurement Roundtable
Gordon Bitko: Senior VP Policy, Information Technology Industry Council
Bill Greenwalt: Visiting Fellow, American Enterprise Institute
Roger Waldron: President, Coalition for Government Procurement

Panel: Impact of Narrowing Competitive Markets on Innovation
Claire Grady (Moderator): ManTech, Vice President, Defense Strategy
Halimah Najieb-Locke: Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense (Industrial Base Resilience)
Peter Babb: Anduril Industries, Business Development
Stephen Pimpo: Partner, Greenhouse Consulting
John Luddy: AIA, Vice President, National Security Policy

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Ms. Lesley Field, Deputy Administrator for Federal Procurement Policy, Office of Management and Budget, Executive Office of the President

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Mr. Scott Bumgarner, Senior Procurement Executive, Office of the Director of National Intelligence

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Mr. Eric Lofgren, Senior Fellow, Center for Government Contracting, George Mason University School of Business

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Ms. Megan Dake, Senior Procurement Executive, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army Procurement, U.S. Army

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Ms. Karla Smith Jackson, Senior Procurement Executive, Deputy Chief Acquisition Officer and Assistant Administrator for Procurement, NASA
Mr. Jason Detko, NASA Deputy Assistant Administrator for Procurement, Agency Procurement Ombudsman and Competition Advocate

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2021

Dr. Dinesh Verma, Executive Director, Acquisition Innovation Research Center, Stevens Institute of Technology

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Mr. Jason Potter, Professional Staff Member, Senate Armed Services Committee

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Mr. Craig Dyson, Program Executive Officer for Collection, National Security Agency (NSA)

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On September 9, 2021, PRT Hosted Forum on "E.O. 14005…“Ensuring the Future Is Made in All of America by All of America’s Workers"

  • Honorable Allie Coetzee Leslie, Moderator; CEO, AC Leslie Consulting; and PRT Director
  • Matthew Beebe, Director, Acquisition, Defense Logistics Agency
  • Celeste Drake, Director for Buy American Policy, OMB
  • Chris Garcia, President and CEO, Health Supply US LLC
  • Chris Toffales, President and Managing Director, CTC Aero

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Mr. John Tenaglia, Principal Director, Defense Pricing and Contracting, Department of Defense

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Ms. Soraya Correa, Chief Procurement Officer, Department of Homeland Security
Ms. Polly Hall, Strategy and Planning Lead, Procurement Innovation Lab (PIL) Manager

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Jeff Bozman, Counsel, House Armed Services Committee (HASC)
Kyle Noyes, Professional Staff Member, House Armed Services Committee (HASC)
Karen Thornton, Counsel, House Armed Services Committee (HASC)

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LTG David G. Bassett, USA, Director, Defense Contract Management Agency

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Brig. Gen. Steven P. Whitney, USAF, Director, Space Programs, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition

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Ms. Anita F. Bales, Director, Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA)

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Awards

Contracting Excellence Award in memory of Elmer B. Staats

Sponsor: Procurement Round Table, in cooperation with the National Contract Management Association

Award Amount: $5,000

How to Apply: Call for 2025 Entries and Application Form

Deadline for entries: March 28, 2025

2024 Winner
Danielle Grunwald currently serves as a Procurement Analyst with the General Services Administration (GSA) Office of Assisted Acquisition Services (AAS). In this role, she is directly responsible for propelling GSA AAS into the position of the single largest provider of SBIR Phase III contracting support throughout the federal government with total awards valued at over $12B. Her efforts have resulted in enabling GSA to meet hundreds of important Department of Defense (DoD) missions using innovative technology solutions developed by small businesses under the SBIR/STTR program.

2023 Winner
Mr. William Milline is a Supervisory Contract Specialist with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Strategic Acquisition Center (SAC). His team works diligently to serve their VA customers around the world and ultimately the nation's veterans. One of the team's major efforts is the $3 billion Telehealth recompete portfolio. By leveraging new technologies, they are providing leadership in the realm of virtual/remote healthcare services that will ensure no veteran, regardless of location, is left behind and that they can receive the best healthcare available.

2022 Winner
Ms. Tammy Smith, DISA, ingeniously awarded the $45M Global Force Management contract to modernize the mission-critical Joint Operation Planning and Execution System. When the pandemic threatened the award schedule, Tammy quickly regrouped and hosted a virtual software code review. Using new file-sharing technology and precisely coordinating security to limit access to the software code to 200+ vendor users, she allotted each the same time, tracked user access, and eliminated nonconforming vendors. Her team's efficiency, creativity, and stringent fairness were critical in shaving 51 days off the 297-day procurement, defending against a pre-award protest to the GAO, and achieving $1.47M in savings.

2021 Winner
As Contracting Officer, Ms. Michelle Rand led several Defense Information Technology Contracting Organization successes over the past two years: the $199M Global Service Center contract, providing 24/7 service desk support to 2.1 million DoD users; the $36.6M Defense Collaboration Services and $34M Global Video Services contracts that provided conference, file-sharing, and collaboration capabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic; and a $125M pathfinder contract for the $11.2B Defense Enclave Services acquisition.

 

2020 Winner
Ms. Shannon K. Sanders, working with the Defense Information Technical Contracting Organization of the Defense Information Systems Agency, awarded the Agency’s most critical and complex program: Global Solutions Management - Operations (GSM-O) II, a $6.52B single award, 10-year, IDIQ contract to operate and sustain DISA’s networks. She also championed a concept to significantly reduce evaluation time and managed a $160M Cybersecurity Network Operations (CyberNetOps) Design-Deploy-Sustain contracting effort.

2019 Winner
Ms. Lori-Ann Rissler, working with the Kessel Run detachment of the USAF Life Cycle Management Center at Hanscom Air Force Base, Massachusetts, leads an integrated product team that executes the USAF's first Enterprise-wide Other Transaction agreement and other streamlined purchasing platforms.

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HISTORY

  • Chartered in 1984 by a handful of former federal acquisition officials concerned about the economy, efficiency, and effectiveness of the federal acquisition system, the Procurement Round Table has been contributing to progressive reform in procurement and acquisition management ever since.
  • Elmer B. Staats, the fifth Comptroller General of the U.S., was instrumental in the early development of the PRT, after completing his 42 years of distinguished federal service. In collaboration with the National Contract Management Association, the PRT annually selects an early-career federal acquisition professional to be granted the Elmer B. Staats Contracting Professional Excellence Award.
  • Over the years, PRT directors have testified before Congress, written policy papers for government agencies and trade associations, taught the acquisition workforce, authored books on acquisition reform, and provided the leadership for congressionally-mandated acquisition reform panels.
Elmer Staats

Publications

2024

VA acquisitions asks vendors to show their work October 2024 By Steve Kelman

Felon or not, Boeing’s federal contracting fortune seems secure July 2024 By Oriana Pawlyk (POLITICO PRO)

How Not to Alienate Business Partners: Part One February 2024 By Moshe Schwartz and Michelle V. J. Johnson

2023

How Not to Alienate Business Partners: A Framework for Addressing Factors Impacting Retention of Defense Contractors November 2023 By Moshe Schwartz and Michelle V. J. Johnson

Keep the focus in procurement on best value products and services for the government August 2023 By Steve Kelman

David Drabkin and Christopher Yukins present at Swedish Public Procurement Conference Video Charts May 2023 By David Drabkin and Christopher Yukins

PRT views regarding Organizational Conflict of Interest policy March 2023 By Procurement Round Table

2022

DoD Bid Protests October 2022 By David Drabkin and Christopher Yukins

Congressionally Mandated Study on Contractor Debarments for Violations of U.S. Labor Laws September 2022 By David Drabkin and Christopher Yukins

Contracting U. 
July 2022 By PRT Director Michael Wooten

Acquisition Policy in the FY22 National Defense Authorization Act: New Direction or Just More of the Same? 
March 2022 By PRT Director Jon Etherton

Competing in Time: Ensuring Capability Advantage and Mission Success through Adaptable Resource Allocation
February 2022 By PRT Director William Greenwalt et al

PRT views on USDA’s February 17, 2022, proposed amendments to the department’s acquisition regulations that include proposed new certifications regarding compliance with federal labor laws April 2022 By Procurement Round Table [Note, the following Directors recused themselves from participating in this letter: David Drabkin and Chris Yukins.]

Previously banned labor law rule for federal contractors comes back into play
June 2022 Interview with PRT Director David Berteau

2021

Response to Request for Information - Methods and Leading Practices for Advancing Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through Government
July 2021 By Procurement Round Table

The argument for preserving the AbilityOne Program
March 2021 By Robert Burton and Craig Barrett

 

2020

A post-election message from government contractors to America
November 2020, By Steve Kelman

Creating an infrastructure for procurement innovation at DHS
November 2020, By Steve Kelman

Here we go again: 'diversity training' and government contractors
October 2020, By Steve Kelman

Brand Name or Equal: Without 'Equal,' It's Not Competitive
October 2020 By Steven L. Schooner

Re-imagining the small-business mentor-protege model
September 2020, By Steve Kelman

“Warming Up” to Sustainable Procurement
September 2020 By Steven L. Schooner and Markus Speidel

Section 876 – GSA takes welcome steps towards innovation
September 2020, By Roger Waldron

Section 889 implementation: Language changes that may have big consequences
August 2020, By Roger Waldron

Unpriced schedules: Instantly promoting small business opportunities
July 2020, By Roger Waldron

Postscript II: Enhanced Debriefings
May 2020 By Steven L. Schooner

Emerging Policy and Practice Issues (2019)
March 2020 By Steven L. Schooner

Enhanced Debriefings: A Toothless Mandate?
February 2020 By Steven L. Schooner

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Acquisition Reform Library

1955 Hoover Commission Report

1970 Blue Ribbon Panel (Fitzhugh Commission) Report

1981 DoD Report on Improving the Acquisition Process

1984 Grace Commission Report

1984 Defense Financial and Investment Review

1986 Packard Commission

1989 Defense Management Review

1993 Defense Science Board Report on Defense Acquisition Reform

1993 Streamlining Defense Acquisition Laws (Section 800 Panel)

1994 Perry Memorandum

1997 Defense Reform Initiative

2006 Acquisition Advisory Panel (SARA Panel)

2006 Defense Acquisition Performance Assessment Report

2007 Gansler Commission Report

2018 Section 809 Panel

Commentary

Related Sites

Office of Federal Procurement Policy

Professional Services Council
The Coalition for Government Procurement

Federal Acquisition Jumpstation

Defense Acquisition University

Defense Management Institute


Acquisition Central

GWU Government Procurement Law Program

Federal Acquisition Institute

National Contract Management Association

Chief Acquisition Officers Council

Public Contracting Institute

National Defense Industrial Association

Acquisition Innovation Research Center