State Department Sets Sights on Holistic Acquisition Strategy

The U.S. Department of State’s Office of the Procurement Executive is poised to make major policy changes in a bid to efficiently and effectively meet current and future mission support challenges. The agency is transitioning to a new strategic framework, an official close to the program said.

Senior procurement executive Mike Derrios told Homeland Security Today that the office is very lean and agile in terms of how it delivers support. However, it has embarked on a mission to implement a strategic framework focusing on people, culture, process and technology – along with a strong belief in executing the “acquisition experience in a way that serves as a model for other contracting operations,” Homeland Security Today reported.

The Office of the Procurement Executive reported $10.3 billion in expenditures for fiscal year 2020, an increase from $9 billion spent in FY 2019. Derrios predicted an increase in contracting activity in FY 2021, with the Office of Acquisitions Management accounting for the lion’s share of the expenditure.

He said the office handles business operations, diplomatic security contracts, international programs, and design and construction divisions, among others, all of which support critical functions ranging from building new facilities to information management, and even anti-terrorism as well as security assistance.

Meanwhile, the Office of Acquisitions Policy accounts for about $1 billion in overseas spending each year. The OPE official said the agency is committed to the highest ethical standards, honesty and fairness in the procurement process, along with reaching solutions anchored by accountability, collaboration and trust.

The OPE defines acquisition experience as “the holistic perception that federal procurement professionals, customers and stakeholders have of the OPE brand.” Derrios said that his office is trying to coin that phrase across the government contracting community.