Overview
The traditional procurement process in government agencies is often bogged down by rigid structures, outdated methodologies, and inefficiencies that lead to poor post-award outcomes. This course redefines procurement as a strategic function, aligning acquisition strategies with agency missions, technology modernization efforts, and—most importantly—end-user needs. By incorporating human-centered procurement methodologies, participants will learn how to enhance efficiency, transparency, and compliance while significantly improving vendor engagement and contract success rates.
Why Attend?
- Procurement Delays are Costly: On average, federal procurement lead times stretch to 280 days, delaying mission-critical initiatives and wasting taxpayer dollars.
- High Failure Rates: Studies indicate that 80% of IT government projects fail due to misalignment between technical requirements and real-world user needs.
- Regulatory Compliance Challenges: Adhering to OMB, FAR, and agency-specific acquisition policies while maintaining agility requires a new procurement approach.
- Risk Mitigation: Failed procurements cost agencies billions annually. Agile procurement methods have been shown to reduce post-award disputes by 50%.
Who Should Attend?
Procurement is no longer just about compliance—it’s about enabling mission success. If you’re responsible for acquisition decisions that impact your agency’s efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and ability to deliver on public service goals, this course is for you. This course is designed to provide invaluable insights and practical strategies for professionals in the following roles:
Federal, state, and local procurement professionals
Contracting officers and contract officer representatives (CORs)
Government product owners & tech leads
Program managers & policy advisors
Acquisition specialists & decision-makers
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this course, you will be able to:
Apply Agile Methods: Adapt procurement processes using iterative, user-driven approaches.
Develop Clear Procurement Problem Statements: Reduce ambiguity and ensure strategic alignment with agency missions.
Create Efficient Acquisition Strategies: Design procurement strategies that minimize delays and enhance vendor engagement.
Improve Solicitation & Evaluation Practices: Learn techniques to drive vendor competition and improve contract outcomes.
Enhance Contract Administration: Use real-time feedback loops to optimize post-award performance.
Online Training
User-Centered Procurement: How to Design Your Contracts for Real People and Delivery, Not A List of Requirements
Session details
- Learn how to design procurement strategies that align with agency missions and user needs.
- Develop skills to apply agile techniques to reduce procurement risk.
- Improve solicitation and evaluation strategies to enhance vendor engagement.
- Strengthen contract administration with iterative development practices.
- Gain hands-on experience through case studies and interactive exercises.
No previous experience necessary
Key Sessions
9:00 am Procurement Foundations & Pre-Solicitation Strategy
• Overview of user-centered procurement • Aligning procurement with your organization’s technology vision • Key prerequisites to executing user-centered procurement and challenges in traditional procurement
9:30 am Break
9:40 am Requirements Definition
• Product Framing: Developing a problem statement and defining product vision
• Techniques for engaging stakeholders to gather requirements
• Hands-on Exercise: Writing a problem statement and aligning it with the product vision
10:25 am Market Research & Technical Discovery
• Conducting user research and technical discovery
• Agile methods for early industry engagement
• Case Study: Using market research to shape acquisition strategy
11:10 am Break
11:20 am Developing an Acquisition Strategy
• Build, Buy, or Blend? Decision-making frameworks
• Risk assessment in acquisition approaches
• Hands-on Exercise/Case study: Choosing the right acquisition strategy for a given scenario
12:20 am Wrap-Up & Q&A
- Recap of key concepts
- Open discussion and Q&A session
13:00 am End of Day 1
9:00 am Solicitation Development
• Drafting RFx (RFI, RFP, etc.) with a user-focused approach • Structuring your work statement with the selected acquisition strategy • Hands on Activity: Drafting sample user stories • Group Activity: Reviewing and refining sample RFx language
9:50 am Vendor Submission & Evaluation Strategies
• Managing vendor submissions efficiently
• Aligning evaluation with acquisition strategy:Incorporating code reviews, SME/usability testing and oral interviews into evaluation
• Case Study: Evaluating to optimize vendor outcomes
10:40 am Break
10:50 am Contract Kickoff & Contract Administration
• Ensuring a smooth contract kickoff aligned with procurement goals • Iterative design and development in contract administration • Case Study & Hands-on Exercise: Drafting a sprint zero (administrative)
11:50 am Break
12:00pm Closeout & Continuous Improvement
• Importance of contract closeout and capturing lessons learned
• Process improvements for future procurements
• Debriefing session: retrospectives and post mortems
12:35 pm Course Wrap-Up & Q&A
• Recap of key takeaways
• Open discussion on real-world procurement challenges: Ask Me Anything (AMA)
• Resources for continued learning
13:00 pm End of Day 2
Meet Your Facilitator
Ashley Owens
Procurement Expert
Ashley Owens is a nationally recognized government technology acquisition strategist with extensive experience in public sector procurement transformation. With a deep understanding of how procurement impacts mission success, she has spent over a decade revolutionizing how agencies approach acquisition to maximize efficiency, mitigate risk, and enhance stakeholder engagement.
She has served as:
- Senior Digital Acquisition Strategist under the Chief Technology Officer of a major federal agency, where she led initiatives to modernize procurement frameworks.
- Acting Executive Director of 18F, spearheading innovative procurement practices that helped agencies deliver better services.
- Assistant Commissioner of Acquisition at a major technology organization within the U.S. government, overseeing multimillion-dollar procurement strategies and compliance initiatives.
Ashley is a sought-after speaker at industry-leading procurement and government innovation conferences, including:
- ACT-IAC Imagine Nation ELC – The Future of Contracting
- Federal Acquisition Service: Acquisition Training for the Real World
- Public Sector Network Government Innovation Show
- ATARC (Advanced Technology Academic Research Center)
- Digital.gov Spring Community Summit
Her expertise has influenced procurement policies that have reduced acquisition timelines, increased competition, and improved post-award outcomes.
Her philosophy? “Everything in government is acquisition adjacent—let’s design contracts for real people"
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