Karen Brazell, Vice President for Veterans Affairs at SAIC

Innovating Federal Procurement: Building a Culture of Collaboration and Creativity

Karen Brazell, Vice President for Veterans Affairs at SAIC, highlights the importance of innovative acquisition techniques to meet the federal government’s technology needs. Drawing inspiration from the Department of Homeland Security’s Procurement Innovation Lab, she advocates for a cultural shift in procurement practices across agencies, emphasizing leadership, collaboration, and risk-taking. Brazell shares the need for clear requirements, stakeholder engagement throughout the acquisition lifecycle, and creative interpretations of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) to foster flexibility. She stresses involving federal stakeholders, industry experts, and end-users such as veterans to align procurement outcomes with mission objectives. Brazell also points to initiatives like the VA’s Acquisition Academy and the use of alternative procurement strategies, including Other Transaction Authorities (OTAs), as models for enabling innovation.

Key Takeaways

1. DHS’s Procurement Innovation Lab serves as a model for fostering creativity and flexibility in acquisition practices, with similar initiatives emerging across agencies.
   
   
2. Visionary leaders are essential to driving cultural change, encouraging creativity, and navigating FAR provisions to enable innovative acquisition strategies.
   
   
3. Successful procurement requires engaging all stakeholders, including federal agencies, industry partners, academia, and end-users, from the start to ensure outcomes align with mission goals.