Status-quo Strikes Back: Consequences resulting from a lack of education for flexible contracting authorities

In this episode Strategic Institute talks about recent Congressional language that seeks to broaden the aperture when it comes to who and what qualifies for OTA awards, while at the same time the bureaucracy is attempting to narrow the thinking around OTAs and kneecap their potential. Who should be served, the will of 'the people' as represented by Congress -or- should the bureaucracy take precedent? Also discussed are clear solutions using OTAs, current lack of incentives, who should ...

In this podcast episode, Strategic Institute, discusses what has been largely missing in the attempts to use mandated flexible authorities to improve federal acquisition for R&D and delivering new capabilities - KNOWLEDGE. In the rush to use these authorities as a 'work-around' 'hack' 'easy button' or turn them into a process an important steps have been missed. Namely the acquisition of knowledge through education, exploration and experimentation. This has occurred for...

In this podcast episode, Strategic Institute, discusses applying critical thinking to federal acquisition processes for R&D and delivering new capabilities. Featured are ideas of using flexible acquisition authorities to explore new business approaches and collaborative arrangements, the notion that you can't solve a problem with the same thinking that created it, what defines intelligent action, being trapped in institutional corruption, and finally how the Space Shuttle progr...

In this episode, Strategic Institute, reiterates their main points: that focus on new concepts and ideas in 'teaming' to make the best use of talent and better fulfill mission goals, and applying critical thinking to the use of flexible acquisition authorities. These ideas have been broadly rejected by bureaucrats and insiders who vehemently protect the status-quo of 'teams' remaining in their silos fulfilling their functionary duties, keeping them separated, and applying compliance ori...

In this episode, Strategic Institute discusses the unique perceptions of contracting, management, teaming, and time etc. within federal acquisition for R&D and for delivering new advanced capabilities. Federal processes operate under their own logic, divorced from common and broader methods known outside of the ‘industry’. It seems, those who have been indoctrinated into these systems ‘insiders’ have had their ideas and perceptions molded to an arcane regulatory system focused...