Customer Experience, Development Operations and Agile Releases (CEDAR)

In this episode of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Technology Acquisition Center’s (TAC) podcast, TAC Talks, we discuss Strategic Sourcing with Ms. Luwanda F. Jones. Ms. Jones is a retired U.S. Army Colonel who served for 28 years in various senior acquisition and information technology positions. Ms. Jones has been serving as the Deputy Chief Information Officer (DCIO) for the Office of Strategic Sourcing in the Office of Information and Technology (OIT) since August 2018.

In this episode of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Technology Acquisition Center’s (TAC) podcast, TAC Talks, we discuss the Enterprise Cloud Fax Service (ECFax), a highly secure Cloud-based electronic faxing service. It is designed to increase efficiency and decrease time from a slow and costly manual/semi-automated faxing process to a more universal electronic faxing service. To address these topics and more, host Chuck Ross is joined by a fantastic panel of VA Office of Information and Technology and TAC Contracting personnel who collectively have decades of experience. This panel includes: Mr. Frank Joy Jr., Sr. Enterprise Infrastructure Architect for the Office of Information and Technology Mr. Robert Kately, VA Technology Acquisition Center, Contracting Officer

Our guest speakers will further describe how viewpoints of Veterans are kept front and center throughout the lifecycle of a product by recruiting Veterans for user experience studies to help the VA make its digital tools more user-friendly.

In our second episode of this season of the VA Technology Acquisition Center’s (TAC) podcast, TAC Talks, host Chuck Ross is joined by Ms. Sharon Ridley to discuss OSDBU’s role in promoting small business efforts within VA.

Host Chuck Ross is joined by a fantastic panel of VA Office of Information and Technology and TAC Contracting personnel who collectively have decades of experience. This panel includes: Mr. Michael Ouslander, Product Line Manager for the Office of Information Technology, Development Security and Operations, Benefits and Memorial Services portfolio Ms. Cara Varricchio, VA Technology Acquisition Center, Contracting Officer

The application of program management best practices within the acquisition framework increases transparency, empowers business owners and stakeholders to drive key decisions, and enhances VA’s efforts to efficiently and effectively acquire goods and services within the established cost, schedule and scope of the procurement.  Not only does this support VA in effectively meetings its mission, it enhances the Veteran experience through successful execution and delivery of products and services that support delivery of care and benefits.     In this episode, we are joined by Mr. Michael Parrish, who was appointed Principal Executive Director for the VA’s, Office of Acquisition, Logistics, and Construction (OALC) on March 1, 2021. Mr. Parrish also serves as Chief Acquisition Officer, and senior most advisor to the Secretary, managing and overseeing all acquisition activities for the Department. Mr. Parrish has over 35 years of senior leadership experience in military, government, corporate, and non-profit organizations. A retired Colonel, Mr. Parrish served for 14 years on active duty and 21 years in the U.S. Army Reserves as a Senior Army Aviator and Army Acquisition Corps Officer, serving as an Air Operations Officer during Desert Storm.  Joining Mr. Parrish on this episode’s panel is his Deputy, Mr. Phillip Christy, the Deputy Executive Director for the VA’s, Office of Acquisition, Logistics, and Construction. Mr. Christy serves as an advisor to Mr. Parrish on acquisition, logistics, and construction issues. He has served in multiple senior acquisition, construction, and logistics positions during his 20-year career. He is responsible for the day to day operational management of OALC’s Office of Procurement, Acquisition and Logistics which is made up of the Technology Acquisition Center, the National Acquisition Center and the Strategic Acquisition Center. In addition, Mr. Christy is a retired U.S. Army Medical Service Corps Officer.

In 2014, the Federal Government acknowledged that simplifying the Federal contracting space was critical to driving greater innovation, creativity, and improved performance.  Efforts were launched with the goal of improving the economy and efficiency of the Federal acquisition system by increasing opportunities for businesses to participate in the Federal marketplace whereby realizing costs savings and providing the best solution for the taxpayer.   Transformation and modernization didn’t happen overnight.  Achieving a more innovative, efficient and effective acquisition system that supports the needs of a 21st century Government takes initiative, adaptability, buy-in and the proper tools to implement an actionable plan.  To that end, the Government implemented a number of policies and guidance to agencies that identified the actions necessary to address industry concerns and strengthen and improve Federal acquisition practices.  In our last episode, we focused on one approach to improve efficiency and achieve greater cost savings by managing spend through category management.  In this episode, we continue to drill down into the Federal Government’s initiative to transform Federal acquisition by driving innovation through various tools, training, and more flexible and innovative acquisition practices.   This episode’s panel includes:Robert Kirzow, Director, Procurement Service A, VA TACMatthew Ginty, Director, Procurement Service D, VA TACJoshua Cohen, Contracting Officer, VA TAC 

Office of Management and Budget (OMB) memorandum M-19-13 entitled, “Category Management:  Making Smarter Use of Common Contract Solutions and Practices” defines category management as the “business practice of buying common goods and services as an enterprise to eliminate redundancies, increase efficiency, and deliver more value and savings from the Government’s acquisition programs.” In this episode, we speak with Dr. Ernest Reed, Director of VA’s Category Management Support Office within the Office of Procurement, Acquisition and Logistics, Mr. Randy Padal, Acting Executive Director of Acquisition and Category Management within the Office of Information and Technology’s Office of Strategic Sourcing and Ms. Lateefah Parker, Director of IT Services Category Management within the Office of Information and Technology’s Office of Strategic Sourcing.  Our panel discusses the steps VA has taken to implement category management, as well as the achievements and challenges faced along the way. This episode’s panel includes:Dr. Ernest Reed, Director, Category Management Support Office, Office of Procurement, Acquisition and LogisticsRandy Padal, Acting Executive Director, Acquisition and Category Management, Office of Information and Technology, Office of Strategic SourcingLateefah Parker, Director, IT Services Category Management, Office of Information and Technology, Office of Strategic Sourcing 

The VA TAC’s acquisitions relate to the many technologies employed by the VA, including:  hardware, software, servers, data centers, software applications and cloud hosting.  Software applications cover topics such as conference reservation systems, mobile apps for clinicians and Veterans, and enterprise wide financial and electronic health record systems.  The TAC is a unique, diversified, multi-disciplined organization of acquisition professionals, dedicated to providing streamlined business and contracting solutions for major Information and Technology (IT) requirements.  As such, the TAC has a cadre of IT engineers, with program management subject matter expertise to bolster our highly specialized team of IT experienced contracting officers and contract specialists to ensure our mission is successfully attained. Specifically the engineering arm of the TAC provides customers with assistance in requirements refinement, analysis of market research, technical consulation, and assistance in proposal evaluation. Many of our valued customers find great benefit with leveraging the expertise of TAC engineers to ensure optimal products are acquired and delivered the first time thereby providing the best technologies for the care of our Veterans. In this episode, Jon Smolenski, the TAC’s Engineering Service Director helps us break down the Division’s involvement with the acquisition process, tips for developing requirements documents and much more valuable, technical insight.   This episode’s panel includes: Jon Smolenski, VA TAC Director, Engineering Service 

The Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Parts 13 and 15 require Contracting Officers to purchase goods and services from responsible sources at a fair and reasonable price.  Meaning, a price that a prudent businessperson would pay for an item or service under competitive market conditions and reasonable knowledge of the marketplace.  This is done for every contract action through a number of proposal analysis techniques and procedures defined by regulation which are documented through written evidence to support that the price is fair and reasonable.  This is particularly important, and required, in Government Contracting because we are stewards of taxpayer dollars.  In this episode we break down the techniques and tools we use to determine fair and reasonable pricing. The discussion also presents  the challenges acquisition professionals might face when completing a price analysis as well as the challenges confronted when there is an absence of competition. Our panel also discusses the differences between price reasonableness and price realism.   To address these topics and more, we have a fantastic panel of Office of General Counsel Attorneys and Contracting Officers who collectively have decades of experience.  This panel includes: Tara Nash, VA Office of General Counsel, AttorneyDesiree DiCorcia, VA Office of General Counsel, AttorneyDen-el Opuszynski, VA TAC, Contracting OfficerMatthew Newell, VA TAC, Contracting Officer