Chief Acquisition Officers Council

Chief Acquisition Officers Council
Name	Chief Acquisition Officers Council
Formed	2005
Jurisdiction	United States federal executive
Headquarters	Washington, D.C.
Parent agency	Office of Management and Budget

Chief Acquisition Officers Council

The Chief Acquisition Officers Council is an interagency body that coordinates procurement policy among executive branch entities. It brings together senior acquisition leaders from departments such as Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of Energy, and Department of Health and Human Services to align practices with objectives set by the Office of Management and Budget, the General Services Administration, and oversight bodies like the Government Accountability Office. The council interacts with statutory frameworks including the Federal Acquisition Regulation, the Clinger–Cohen Act, and the Competition in Contracting Act of 1984.

Overview

The council functions as a forum where acquisition executives from agencies such as the Department of the Interior, the Department of Commerce, the Department of State, the Department of Transportation, and the Department of Agriculture coordinate on shared challenges in procurement, workforce development, and category management. It interfaces with entities such as the Office of Federal Procurement Policy, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the Defense Acquisition University, the Small Business Administration, and the Office of Personnel Management to harmonize policy implementation across portfolios including information technology, logistics, construction, and professional services. Stakeholders include congressional committees like the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability, the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, inspectors general from multiple agencies, and non-governmental organizations such as American Council for Technology, Professional Services Council, and National Contract Management Association.

History and Establishment

The council was established during a period of policy reform that followed initiatives by the White House and the Office of Management and Budget in the 2000s, alongside reforms tied to the Federal Information Security Management Act of 2002 and acquisition modernization efforts influenced by reports from the Government Accountability Office and commissions such as the Commission on Wartime Contracting in Iraq and Afghanistan. Founding participants included chiefs from the Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, Department of State, Department of Veterans Affairs, and General Services Administration. Subsequent directives from presidential administrations and memoranda from the Office of Management and Budget and the Office of Federal Procurement Policy shaped the council’s charter and priorities.

Membership and Structure

Membership comprises chief acquisition officers and senior procurement executives from major federal departments and agencies including the Department of the Treasury, the Department of Justice, the Department of Labor, the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Institutes of Health, and the Social Security Administration. The council operates under the aegis of the Office of Management and Budget with liaisons from the General Services Administration, the Department of Defense, and the Office of Federal Procurement Policy. Working groups have included representatives from the Defense Logistics Agency, the Federal Aviation Administration, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the United States Postal Service, and the Department of Education. Advisory partners and observers have included the Congressional Budget Office, the Federal Trade Commission, and private sector associations such as the National Defense Industrial Association.

Roles and Responsibilities

The council develops guidance on procurement policy areas like category management, strategic sourcing, contract management, and supplier performance measurement. It aligns initiatives with statutory references such as the Federal Acquisition Streamlining Act of 1994 and the Services Acquisition Reform Act of 2003, and operationalizes directives from the Office of Management and Budget and the Office of Federal Procurement Policy. Responsibilities include promoting shared services among agencies such as the General Services Administration schedules, implementing acquisition workforce training with institutions like the Defense Acquisition University and the George Washington University, and coordinating responses to audit findings from the Government Accountability Office and agency inspectors general.

Major Initiatives and Programs

Key initiatives have included support for the Category Management effort led by the General Services Administration and the Office of Management and Budget, enterprise-wide adoption of best practices from the Defense Acquisition University, and efforts to improve small business participation aligned with the Small Business Act and the Small Business Administration’s goals. Programs have targeted acquisition workforce certification, modernization of Federal Acquisition Regulation interpretations, adoption of commercial solutions consistent with the Clinger–Cohen Act, and initiatives to improve contracting transparency in line with the Digital Accountability and Transparency Act of 2014. Collaborative projects have engaged partners such as the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, and the Department of Energy’s procurement offices.

Relationship with Federal Acquisition Policy

The council serves as an executive-level mechanism to implement policies issued by the Office of Management and Budget, the Office of Federal Procurement Policy, and presidential memoranda affecting the Federal Acquisition Regulation and agency supplements. It helps translate statutory mandates from laws such as the Competition in Contracting Act of 1984 and the Federal Acquisition Streamlining Act of 1994 into interagency guidance, and coordinates with oversight entities like the Government Accountability Office, congressional appropriations and authorization committees, and agency inspectors general to improve compliance and performance.

Criticism and Reforms

Critiques have focused on the council’s effectiveness in enforcing cross-agency standards, addressing contractor performance failures noted by the Government Accountability Office and the Commission on Wartime Contracting in Iraq and Afghanistan, and accelerating reform recommendations from bodies such as the National Academy of Public Administration and the Office of Management and Budget. Reforms have emphasized strengthening acquisition workforce capabilities in partnership with the Defense Acquisition University and the Office of Personnel Management, enhancing transparency through initiatives inspired by the Digital Accountability and Transparency Act of 2014, and improving small business access in line with the Small Business Administration and congressional oversight by the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability and the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.

Category:United States federal procurement