Event Wrap Up: SECAF - DHS The Future of Procurement is Now!!!

Who was the most interesting speaker or panelist? What was their key piece of advice?

Each speaker at the SECAF event provided a thoughtful perspective into DHS procurement. Soraya Correa, Chief Procurement Office for DHS, is a highly request speaker for a reason – she knows what she’s talking about and says it with conviction. Soraya spoke candidly about updates regarding potential follow-on contracts for EAGLE II and FLASH, as well as what she expects from industry and even her own team. 

Jaclyn Smyth, previous Director of the Strategic Sourcing Program Office, was recently promoted to Acting Executive Director for Strategic Programs. Jaclyn is an insightful speaker and has a pulse on what’s to come in terms of future of government spending. As the government-wide lead for Category Management in the area for Security and Protection, Jaclyn also oversees Category Management for DHS. She’s always looking for ways to increase efficiencies in government spending.

Polly Hall, Strategy and Planning lead for DHS Procurement Innovation Lab (PIL), shared lots of great insights and examples on how DHS is introducing innovative ways to compete contracts. The PIL’s focus is to streamline the evaluation process (i.e. make industry and government’s lives easier!) and identify evaluation methodologies to help meet the needs of the agency faster and more effectively.

What was said that our clients would find valuable?

Soraya lives by four rules that anyone who provides products or services to DHS should understand.

1. Inspire and motivate those involved in the acquisition process.
2. Deliver exceptional results and achieve positive outcomes. (It is important to note this does not say, “write good contracts!”)
3. Enhance mission capabilities.
4. Promote meaningful communication. This is not just government and industry communication but communication across the board, among peers, executives, end users, program officers, and anyone involved throughout the acquisition lifecycle.

As companies who support DHS, we need to understand and embrace these tenets. We are here to support the mission of DHS and not simply respond to contracts. As Soraya stated more than once during her presentation, “procurement is about the mission.”

Did you see anyone you knew?

It was great catching up with Curt Anderson (CSSI), Bryan Clickner (CMCI), Jeremy Arensdorff (Jefferson Consulting), Rod Volz (SBD II), and many others.

Which companies would have most benefited from this event/conversation?

Anyone who currently provides or is looking to provide products and services to DHS would have benefitted from this conversation. Soraya, Jaclyn, and Polly were all gracious guests and stayed well after the breakfast to speak with industry. That is one of the great things about the DHS Procurement Team – they don’t just talk about open communication, they embrace it and welcome the dialogue with industry.

Did you learn something that you will implement right away? What was it?

Many of the people in attendance were interested to understand the next steps for EAGLE II and FLASH. Rather than to share all the groundbreaking feedback via this article, perhaps you should consider joining @SECAF for future events or contact us for more information!

Would you go again? 

Yes, we encourage our followers to keep your eye out for future SECAF events. It was a fantastic breakfast and a huge thank you to Soraya and her team for presenting.