U.S. Federal Government Procurement: Structure, Process and Current Issue

Overview: In the United States, the Federal government, the largest organization in the world, procured $231.08 billion and made33.19 million procurement actions in fiscal year 2000. The American federal government is the largest purchasing entity of both private and public sectors in the world, and it acquires many types of goods and services, from very simple to very sophisticated items, to meet diverse needs of agencies. Moreover, the American federal government has used its acquisition power to achieve certain socioeconomic objectives. Thus, the procurement organizational structure and process are very complicated. An integrated acquisition model, initiated by the Defense Department and recommended by the Office of Management and Budget, is a very comprehensive model, requiring attention in the very early phase of acquisition: strategic planning and budgeting. When strategic planning and budgeting systems are included in the integrated acquisition model, it takes many years from the planning phase to the time an acquisition is completed. Moreover, advanced technology and socio-economic concerns have presented opportunities as well as challenges in procurement.

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Format: PDF | Size: 342KB | Date: Apr 2003 | Pages: 32