Defense procurement director promotes balanced acquisition

  • Published
  • By Rudy Purificato
  • 311th Human Systems Wing
BROOKS CITY-BASE, Texas (AFPN) --  The Defense Department's top acquisition executive shared his views with contract specialists regarding strategic sourcing designed to maximize efficiency in how the federal government procures goods and services Aug. 16 at Brooks City-Base.

Shay Assad, the director of Defense Procurement and Acquisition Policy, held local town hall meetings to discuss DOD initiatives and strategies for improving support to America's warfighters while balancing the need to spend taxpayers' money more effectively.

Mr. Assad, who has been on the job since April 2006, oversees the obligation of $300 billion annually for the acquisition of all major weapon systems, automated information systems and services within DOD.

His nationwide tour of military installations to talk directly to the federal acquisition community was made in response to his commitment as DOD's primary change agent for the implementation of strategic sourcing for goods and services.

"We (DOD) spend more than $150 billion a year on services. We've got to get it right in terms of being extremely focused on the kinds of goods and services we buy," Mr. Assad said. 

He said there is more scrutiny today by Congress, the media and the American public of questionable government expenditures than that which may have existed in the past.

"There is more emphasis on how we buy services and recommendations to conserve," said Mr. Assad referring to dwindling federal resources and budget constraints. The DOD acquisition community is developing tools to conduct market research to assist the contracting workforce in finding a fair and equitable price for goods and services.

"We serve warfighters and taxpayers," he said. "When we negotiate a deal, we must take both of them into account." 

He encouraged federal workers to use initiatives "to increase our buying power."

Mr. Assad said these initiatives are immeasurably important to helping maximize the limited government resources of our nation at war.

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