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.
Sep 14, 2022•33 min•Season 3Ep. 5
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...
Sep 14, 2022•23 min•Season 3Ep. 4
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.
Sep 14, 2022•28 min•Season 3Ep. 3
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.
Sep 14, 2022•17 min•Season 3Ep. 2
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
Sep 14, 2022•16 min•Season 3Ep. 1
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 tha...
Oct 19, 2021•35 min•Season 2Ep. 5
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 ov...
Oct 19, 2021•33 min•Season 2Ep. 4
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 Of...
Oct 19, 2021•31 min•Season 2Ep. 3
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 ...
Oct 19, 2021•37 min•Season 2Ep. 2
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 evi...
Oct 19, 2021•22 min•Season 2Ep. 1
In the final episode of this podcast series we tackle one of the most important discussions in federal contracting – proposal evaluations. Evaluating proposals is a critical task for the Government as selecting the correct vendor can set the path of a project for years to come. The right contractor can be the difference between successfully serving our Veterans and the American people, or failing to support them in the way they need. Similarly, as a vendor, being selected can mean success or fai...
Sep 29, 2020•27 min•Season 1Ep. 5
All throughout the conference circuit we continue to hear about innovation in contracting. The appetite is large for new and improved methods of procurement. Now, perhaps more than ever, contracting professionals are searching for ways to cut bureaucracy, streamline procedures, and evaluate proposals in more meaningful ways. Much progress has been made and celebrated over the last few years. The acquisition community painstakingly began using various types of proposal demonstrations in its evalu...
Sep 29, 2020•25 min•Season 1Ep. 4
In Episode 3 of the TAC Podcast we have an exciting topic that’ll surely invoke some strong emotions no matter what side of the table you sit on. And the topic for this episode is “The Debrief”. If you have been involved at all in government contracting you are more than likely familiar with debriefings, but the question is, are we getting as much out of them as possible? Debriefings are an important part of the acquisition process to show transparency and an opportunity for both sides to receiv...
Sep 29, 2020•30 min•Season 1Ep. 3
If there is one thing that the Technology Acquisition Center (TAC) is known for, it is its Transformation Twenty-One Total Technology Next Generation (T4NG) contract. T4NG is a 10 year Indifinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract consisting of 28 vendors and a ceiling of over $22B, and we are currently in year five of the vehicle, looking to exercise the next five year option, and onramp a group of Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned small businesses (SDVOSB). VA obligates well over $1B a...
Sep 29, 2020•27 min•Season 1Ep. 2
In this TAC Podcast series, TAC Talks, we give you a peak behind the federal acquisition curtain and discuss highly relevant acquisition topics with top acquisition professionals and the Office of General Council. Throughout the episodes we will dissect the ins and outs of various acquisition strategies, debriefings, market research, and more! But our first episode is a very special one. We kick this series off in no better fashion than a casual conversation with the Department of Veterans Affai...
Sep 29, 2020•17 min•Season 1Ep. 1
Come for a peak behind the federal acquisition curtain as we gain insights from acquisition professionals at the US Department of Veterans Affairs and dissect varying relevant topics. In this five episode series we will explore topics such as proposal evaluations, innovation, debriefs, and more!
Sep 15, 2020•1 min
