GSA leaders urge acquisition teams to embrace flexibility as FAR overhaul rolls out

Senior leaders at the General Services Administration want acquisition teams across the government to embrace the process as the government rolls out a reformed and significantly smaller Federal Acquisition Regulation.

GSA Acting Administrator Stephen Ehikian and Federal Acquisition Commissioner Josh Gruenbaum have co-authored a blog to help the acquisition workforce understand the agency's vision behind the “Revolutionary FAR Overhaul” initiative.

In what they say is the first in a two-part blog series, Ehikian and Gruenbaum likened the FAR to an apartment building that has had additions and expansions over a number of years resulting in a “confusing maze.”

“Residents, especially new ones, need a map to just get from their door to the laundry room,” they wrote in the post published Tuesday.

While lacking any new details about the FAR reforms, The blog is more of a pep talk for acquisition teams, as opposed to having new details about the FAR reforms.

Ehikian and Gruenbaum laid out out four reminders for these teams need to focus on:

• Training and expertise
• Principles trump procedures
• Collaborate
• Accept mistakes and learn from them

“Most acquisition professionals have developed sound judgment through years of experience. That knowledge doesn’t disappear when guidance is reduced,” they wrote.

They want acquisition teams to get rid of having a check-list mentality.

“Instead of following step-by-step instructions, we’ll need to internalize the core principles of fair, efficient, and effective procurement,” they wrote.

Much of the blog post aligns with what has been released on the FAR overhaul, particularly an emphasis on acquisition teams having flexibility and freedom to exercise their own judgment.

Ehikian and Gruenbaum also acknowledge the angst that acquisition teams are feeling.

“This discomfort is normal. In fact, it’s a necessary part of growth,” they wrote.

They ended the blog with another metaphor – learning to ride a bike.

“The wobbly phase was frustrating but essential to eventually riding with confidence."