Stronger Acquisition Workforce | Innovating Federal Procurement | Navigating Cybersecurity at VA

November 24, 2024

Presented by SAIC

Building a Stronger Acquisition Workforce for Tomorrow

Christine Harada, Senior Advisor at the Office of Federal Procurement Policy (OFPP), outlines a strategic plan to address workforce gaps and modernize acquisition practices in the federal government. Recognizing a shortage of junior staff in acquisition roles, OFPP is urging agencies to create targeted workforce plans, establish annual staffing goals, and partner with universities to build a pipeline of talent, including initiatives inspired by programs like DoD's acquisition-focused ROTC. Harada highlights the importance of leveraging inter-agency hiring processes, drawing lessons from infrastructure and energy programs to streamline efforts and improve efficiency. On the technology front, she discusses advancing the responsible acquisition of artificial intelligence, emphasizing the need to balance innovation with safeguards for civil rights, data security, and ethical AI use. Collaboration across acquisition teams, CIOs, CISOs, and program leaders is key to success, ensuring a cohesive approach to meeting agency missions while building a stronger, more innovative federal workforce.

Key Takeaways

1. OFPP calls for agencies to create tailored acquisition workforce plans, set annual staffing goals, and build university partnerships to attract and develop talent early.
   
   
2. Agencies must balance leveraging AI's potential with safeguarding civil rights and data integrity, requiring teamwork across acquisition and tech leadership.
   
   
3. Drawing from successful programs, OFPP aims to streamline hiring processes by creating shared applicant pools and fostering inter-agency innovation in acquisition practices.

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.

Navigating Cybersecurity at VA: Agility, Collaboration, and Zero Trust

Lynette Sherrill, CISO at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), highlights the complexities of the current cybersecurity landscape and the VA’s strategies for mitigating evolving threats like ransomware, denial-of-service attacks, and nation-state hackers. She emphasizes the importance of agility within cybersecurity teams, fostering a culture that embraces failure as an opportunity for growth and learning. Sherrill points out the unique challenges faced by the VA’s multifaceted operations, which span healthcare, finance, and national cemeteries, requiring tailored approaches to defend against sector-specific risks. She also stresses the need for close collaboration between cybersecurity teams and business units to ensure security measures align with operational goals, especially given the high stakes in delivering uninterrupted services to veterans. On the Zero Trust front, the VA has adopted this framework as its guiding strategy, with significant progress in areas like multi-factor authentication, encryption, and endpoint detection and response. However, Sherrill acknowledges challenges such as meeting aggressive logging mandates due to resource constraints. By focusing on risk-based prioritization and continuous improvement, the VA aims to fortify its cyber posture while maintaining seamless service delivery.

Key Takeaways

1. The VA fosters an adaptable cybersecurity workforce that views failures as opportunities for improvement and integrates lessons from both internal and external incidents.
   
   
2. Significant advances have been made in multi-factor authentication, encryption, and endpoint detection, although challenges in comprehensive logging persist due to resource limitations.
   
   
3. The VA’s cybersecurity approach is customized for its diverse operations, addressing unique risks in healthcare, finance, and cemetery services to protect critical assets and ensure service continuity.