Awards celebrate acquisition pioneers

Awards celebrate acquisition pioneers

Pssst, got a great acquisition story? If so, Government Executive and the Council for Excellence in Government want to know so it can be considered for special honors. In early 2000, a panel of federal procurement experts will choose the first set of winners of the "Business Solutions in the Public Interest" award, to be given annually to acquisition teams and agency leaders.

The awards are meant to celebrate the power and payoff of the strategic use of acquisition to achieve agency missions. The selection panel will be seeking examples of reformed acquisition cultures whose members seek to be business advisors to program managers. They're also looking for agencies that foster this new culture and include acquisition executives on their top-level strategic business teams.

Winners must be able to demonstrate significant progress toward their stated business goals.

They also must

  • Be framed as business opportunities, not just procurements;
  • Have a significant impact on agency mission;
  • Have achieved tangible results;
  • Include solutions that change current practice or thinking;
  • Integrate all players;
  • Have an impact on the agency's overall acquisition and procurement culture.

Judges will look for the acquisition's role in the agency's implementation of the Government Performance and Results Act, the use of best commercial practices, leadership support, a focus on business results, whether the agency learned from the program, and how it's supporting reform of the acquisition culture.

You can use our online nomination form to apply: www.govexec.com/procure/award. Award winners will be featured in Government Executive and feted at a gala reception. Their stories also will be used to foster new practices and risk-taking among federal procurement organizations.