Ensure Customer Focus in Procurement Background In most federal agencies, an internal office assesses procurements by utilizing a variety of review activities, including Procurement Management Reviews (PMRs). A 1982 executive order directs agency heads and procurement executives to implement effective procurement systems.1 It also requires agency procurement executives to evaluate the performance of the agency's procurement system against specific criteria and certify that such criteria have been met. System criteria guidelines were established by the Office of Federal Procurement Policy (OFPP) in 1984 and were intended to serve as guides for agencies in establishing and reviewing their procurement systems. While the system criteria established by OFPP address the effectiveness and efficiency of the system, they tend to focus on the process as opposed to the outcomes of procurements. The criteria fail to reflect the reinventing principles advocated by the National Performance Review, including a focus on results for the line manager. Need for Change An evergrowing body of rules and regulations has emerged as the government has tried to reduce the incidence of fraud and prevent waste of taxpayer dollars. An OFPP survey of federal line managers indicates that many managers believe procurement professionals focus on meeting process requirements and rules at the expense of fast and reliable service, quality results, and customer needs. The survey also documents considerable miscommunication and lack of trust between line managers and procurement professionals, a further impediment to effective procurement programs.2 The OFPP survey supports the conclusion that customer input should be considered in measuring the effectiveness of procurement services. The goal of procurement organizations is to provide quality supplies and services required by users when they are needed, at a reasonable price, and in accordance with applicable laws and regulations. Line managersthe customersshould determine quality and timeliness, not the procurement organization that supports them. Compliance with laws and regulations should be one criterion in assessing the effectiveness of procurement services, but so too should customer input regarding the quality and timeliness of services provided. Some agencies have recognized the importance of and need for considering customer input. For example, one procurement organization within the Department of Commerce is establishing a board of directors, composed of seniorlevel customers, to rate the procurement organization against mutually agreedupon standards.3 The National Aeronautics and Space Administration now includes customer input as one of its PMR elements. Good customer relations will restore balance to the contracting officer's basic role of providing excellent customer service within the limitations of law and regulations. Customeroriented procurement programs will refocus attention from the means to the ends. Action Revise Executive Order 12352 to conform to the new vision for federal procurement. Cross References to Other NPR Accompanying Reports Creating Quality Leadership and Management, QUAL02: Improve Government Performance Through Strategic and Quality Management. Streamlining Management Control, SMC03: Change the Focus of the Inspectors General, and SMC05: Improve the Effectiveness of the General Accounting Office Through Increased Customer Feedback. Endnotes 1. Executive Order 12352, "Federal Procurement Reforms," March 17, 1982. 2. Merit Systems Protection Board and Office of Federal Procurement Policy, January 1993. 3. U.S. Department of Commerce, Office of the Secretary, Office of Procurement Operations.
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