Can defense procurement be great again?

AuthorSpeakes, Stephen M
PositionSmall Business Perspective

As the CEO of a small defense contractor, I see hope for a brighter future. We are excited not just at the prospect of a permanent end to sequestration and a return to more funding for defense but also at the prospect that the broader issues of the electorate discontent manifested in Trump's win will be felt and heeded by our government.

We believe that government exists to serve citizens. In government contracting, for instance, bureaucracy and bureaucrats have become accustomed to ruling over their fellow Americans. The recent past has been characterized by process gone amuck.

As small business leaders, we feel victimized by a lack of redress to issues such as an acquisition system that takes forever, relies on arcane rules, involves lawyers at every opportunity and requires top-tier lobbyists to obscure accountability.

Following are some new rules that America's small businesses would like to see in defense procurements:

Write requirements in plain English. Use modern commercial technology to take the "black art" out of the process. Instead of forcing contractors to employ expensive legal firms, use modern software like "Legal Zoom" to provide readily available contract language to small firms. Set a reasonable time limit for government proposals. Establish timelines for steps in processes and live by them by enforcing penalties on the government for non-performance. Cash flow is an issue for small firms that cannot risk months or years of bureaucratic processing to gain decisions.

End the DoD war on intellectual property rights. Firms that are inventive deserve the right to profit from their success. The federal government's current approach to intellectual property would not be accepted in the music and publishing industries. In those sectors the sanctity of intellectual property is respected and serves as the engine that drives re-use of the most clever ideas.

Enforce transparency in decision-making. Under the guise of "protecting the process," government is able to make decisions with minimal accountability, particularly with small contract awards that are so often the bread and butter for smaller firms.

Make civil servants and military officers accountable. While a heroic few work extremely hard and are deeply devoted to their professional responsibilities, too many are not. When you contact world-class commercial organizations with a problem, you expect to speak to a human being who understands that we expect accountability. Emails...

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