The government is always trying to fix the acquisition process and the Office of Management and Budget thinks it has a strong solution in category management, a procurement technique intended to leverage the broad buying power and expertise of the federal government.
OMB has made strides deploying category management tools and policies across government and just named 11 acquisition officials to lead these efforts.
The Category Management Team is made up of procurement specialists from OMB, the General Services Administration, Department of Defense, Homeland Security, Veterans Affairs and the Office of Personnel Management. Eleven officials will each lead a "Category Management Center of Excellence" focused on one of the 10 major categories.
- Kim Luke, OMB — IT Category
- Tiffany Hixson, Federal Acquisition Service Regional Commissioner, GSA — Professional Services Category
- Jaclyn Smith, Strategic Sourcing Program Office, DHS — Security and Protection Category
- Mary Ruwwe, FAS Regional Commissioner, GSA — Facilities and Construction Category
- George Prochaska, FAS Regional Commissioner, GSA — Industrial Products and Services Category
- Greg Hammon, FAS Regional Commissioner, GSA — Office Management Category
- Lisa Roberts, Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Transportation Policy, DOD — Transportation and Logistics Category
- Timothy Burke, FAS Director of Travel and Transportation Services, GSA — Travel and Lodging Category
- Rob Briede, Acting Training Management Assistance Program Manager, OPM — Human Capital Products and Services Category
- Jonathan Woodson, Assistant Secretary of Defense (Health Affairs), DOD — Medical Products and Services Category
- David Shulkin, Veterans Health Administration Under Secretary for Health, VA — Medical Products and Services Category
Read the full bio for each manager here.
Noting the existing partnership between DOD and VA around managing medical devices and soldier/veteran health, the team decided to double-up on the Medical Products and Services category, tapping experts from both departments.
In a Feb. 25 blog post, U.S. Chief Acquisition Officer Anne Rung noted that, prior to category management, agencies were seeing as high as 300 percent price variance for some goods and services. Rung said the government has saved almost $2 billion since 2009 using new procurement techniques and outlined millions in projected savings annually over the next few years.
"With this leadership team, category management is taking a huge leap forward," Rung wrote. "In the coming months, I look forward to sharing their successes and new ways to leverage our buying power, drive more consistent practices across our agencies, share information, and reduce duplication."
Aaron Boyd is an awarding-winning journalist currently serving as editor of Federal Times — a Washington, D.C. institution covering federal workforce and contracting for more than 50 years — and Fifth Domain — a news and information hub focused on cybersecurity and cyberwar from a civilian, military and international perspective.
