The Steps in the Acquisition Process for a Negotiated Best Value Source Selection

Zakheim and Kadish explain two decades ago, there were more than twenty prime contractors competing for defense contracts while today the government relies on just six contractors to build its defense systems. Zakheim and Kadish state, “The system largely forgoes competition on price, delivery and performance and replaces it with a kind of “design bureau” competition”. The report explains that firms such as Boeing and Lockheed Martin have operated in collaboration on several projects such as the Air Force’s next generation bomber (Zakheim & Kadish, 2008). Collaboration of this nature suggests cooperative equilibrium between the firms to enhance their mutual payoff of outbidding competitors. With the defense market on the downturn pending major budget cuts over the next several years, more collaboration strategies are possible for firms to remain competitive. The existing procurement system encourages bargaining among the government and bidding firms. When budgets are allocated generously, demand is high and firms can set their prices higher. Budget cuts decrease demand and increase bargaining between buyer and seller. Security Industry reports budget deficits subject contracts to greater

Market research plays a vital role in the procurement process. The formal definition of “market research” states a means of collecting and analyzing information about capabilities within the market to satisfy agency needs (FAR subpart 2.101). Regulatory requirements for market research are primarily in the parts of the FAR that deal with pre-award activities. FAR Part 10, Market Research, certainly sets forth the policies and procedures that are required to conduct market research. The policy states that Market research shall be completed for all Federal Government requirements that exceed the simplified purchase threshold (SAT) and some requirements below SAT when adequate information is not available and the circumstances justify its cost. Market research is a fundamental method for commercial acquisitions, FAR Part 12, Acquisition of Commercial Items, contains requirements for conducting market research in identifying commercial products and in developing Government requirements. The policy statement of FAR Part 11 Describing Agency Needs, which is at FAR Section 11.002, requires acquisition personnel to use market research in specifying needs to promote competition and avoid unduly restrictive terms and conditions. The policy statement for FAR Part 7,

Before launching or expanding a business venture, there needs to be an understanding of the industry, its competitors, and its customers. Market research is vital in assisting companies in the decision-making process and their marketing direction. Data from marketing research is important because it provides companies with ways to identify opportunities, identify market potential, minimize chances of loss, devise effective marketing strategies, gauge customer satisfaction, and serve as an evaluation tool.

Market research is utilized by companies to make the right decisions when it comes to

1 One of the most critical steps in the defining process of market research is

2. Stable and broad market for products with product-line of small items, eliminating companies with dependence on few customers.

Market research is the method of gathering and analyzing information about customers, competitors and the market. Market research is used when companies want to focus on things like market trends, customer habits and lifestyle, what price customers will pay for a product and what competition exists. This type of research assists companies build an idea on how competitive the market is also business owners can price their products efficiently with the understanding of the current market research.

Most of the businessmen consider market research the key to a successful business empire. It is quite essential to conduct a thorough research to analyze the prospects of an existing or new product. A well-conducted research proves fruitful in evaluating the business situations, the potential sales of a product, prospective customers and so forth.

The group is expected to have a minimum of 80% of the targeted suppliers on-boarded by the set transition date. Although, the group is pre-formed to provide the above duties we go through the team life cycle stages with each transition. Every transition is different because client requirements vary. Insurance requirements, client expectations, contracts, and time lines are all items that may differ between clients. The storming process is completed by the transition group which includes the VE leader (me), the sourcing transition leader (initiating role- responsible for contracts) and a representative of the client (summarizer-evaluator). The norming stage is performed by the VE group where the leader explains the challenges of the transition and a plan is devised to overcome those challenges to have a successful transition by clarifying the role and expectations of each VE team member. The VE then progresses to the performing stage where the team is actually making calls to suppliers and working

In order to be considered for a government contract the acquisition and planning strategy should pinpoint the strategy the vendor intends to use, all while gaining a sense of what will need to be done in order to accomplish the agency needs. The plan must address all the technical, business, management, and other important matters that the

All employees involved in any aspect of purchasing on behalf of the NorthStar Group are either directly or indirectly representing our business to external stakeholders.

Since more structured analytical tools, is likely to propose solutions mechanics for politically complicated issues, the formal procedures evaluation should not prevent the emergence of spontaneous informal contributions the decision-making process; Serve as a mechanism to communicate the company's goals and the staff of the involved parties. The analytical concepts and Content contained therein can help administrators to implement a program for acquiring which is robust, consistent and cost- justifiable (and WEINHOLD SALTER, 1981). According to Salter and Weinhold (1981), there are two approaches to making a acquisition function. The first emphasizes the strategic fit between the acquired companies for strategic objectives of the acquiring company. The second emphasizes the need to achieve organizational fit between the two companies combining systems administrative, company cultures or demographic characteristics. Sufficient degree of strategy and organization ensure success of the acquisition. Jemison and Sitkin (1986) identified the following factors inherent in the process can affect the outcome: fragmented aspects - The involvement of experts and analysts particular expertise and independent objectives, often carry multiple fragmented views. These experts, usually or often dominate the process of making a purchase due to the technical complexity of required analysis. Moreover, few of those involved experts have operational experience of the segments of

The decision to choose a product or service from an external supplier or vendor is referred to as outsourcing. The decision to outsource a product or service is a significant one, and the Project Manager must take into consideration additional costs, changes to schedule, deliverables, and value. Furthermore, there are also other decision-making factors, such as the need for control over the quality, proprietary technology, time constraints, and lack of expertise or limited capabilities of the external supplier (Project Management Institute, 2013). From a financial and scheduling standpoint, the decision is straightforward, as the success of the project is dependent on resources available through outsourcing. Since the project is dependent on an outside entity, the Project Manager must follow prudent measures to control the process. The first step in controlling the process is to determine the appropriate acquisition process. One reliable process is known as Performance-Based Acquisition (PBA). Performance Based Acquisition (PBA) is a results-oriented contracting method that focuses on outputs, and is written so that payment or contract extension is based on measurable performance. The main benefit of using PBA is to minimize costs, while improving vendor performance (NIGP, 2012). It is paramount that diligent research and evaluation methods are used to ensure that the best available vendor is

· Willingness to change: The buyer's internal line of business groups must be willing to use any of the qualified bidders.

A comprehensive market research allows you to systematically manage business opportunities. Our team will develop these researches in different countries for you based on a quantitative analysis of trade history, potential costs, competitors, customer profiles and local government policies. This analysis will allow you fully understand the prospects of target markets and ensure your sales force uses its limited resources for the most profitable effect.