Jeff Shen Co-Chairs 2024 PSC Federal Acquisition Conference with AWS’s Dorice Kenely
ASHBURN, Va., June 24, 2024 – On June 20, Jeff Shen, President of Red Team Consulting (Red Team), served as Co-Chair of the 2024 PSC Federal Acquisition Conference alongside Dorice Kenely, Public Policy Manager at AWS. The conference, which featured an all-star lineup of speakers and panel discussions, addressed critical topics such as planning for growth during times of inconsistent funding, the role of AI in federal acquisition planning, and the future of the “Mythbusters” initiative in improving acquisition outcomes.
The event saw robust participation with 180 registered attendees, including 50 online participants. Notably, about 20% of the attendees were government representatives, marking the highest government participation in a major PSC conference to date.
One of the highlights was a presentation by Nicole Evans, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Acquisition at the U.S. Department of Treasury. Mrs. Evans shared valuable insights into Treasury’s procurement efforts, emphasizing their successful collaboration across all bureaus. She highlighted the Treasury’s achievement in hiring nearly 800 contracting officers and staff to support procurement operations and their efforts in awarding contracts to new entrants. Addressing questions on IRS intimacy, Mrs. Evans explained that timing often influences contract awards to incumbents due to transition constraints. She also discussed the Treasury’s initiative to remove overly strict technical requirements that could exclude new entrants, such as unnecessary “IRS-specific” experience.
Another significant highlight was the Mythbusting panel featuring Jackie Rubino, Executive Director of Strategic Programs Division at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security; Trevor Wagner, Director of The Lab at the U.S. Department of Commerce; and Katrina Brisbon, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Acquisitions at the Department of Health and Human Services. The panelists delved into the debrief process, explaining why contracting officers are often hesitant to provide extensive feedback. They also discussed the definition of a “brief explanation” per FAR Part 8 and provided additional guidance on marketing to agencies. The key takeaway from the panel was the importance of communication and transparency, with all three panelists emphasizing their efforts to educate contracting officers to be more open despite fears of protests.
Jeff Shen expressed his enthusiasm for the event, stating, “It was a really good event. Lots of positive feedback and good connections from both government and industry.”
The conference underscored the importance of innovation and collaboration in federal acquisition, providing attendees with valuable insights and actionable strategies to navigate the evolving landscape. To learn about future events hosted by PSC, click here.
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About Red Team: Red Team is a strategic growth consultancy that helps companies scale in the government contracting market. Over our 20 years, we’ve helped thousands of companies achieve their growth targets with our full lifecycle business development, capture, proposal development, pricing, and training services. With our support, our clients continue to beat their largest competitors, diversify their portfolio of customers, and achieve their financial goals.
About PSC: Professional Services Council (PSC) is the national trade association of the government technology and professional services industry. Solely focused on preserving, improving, and expanding the federal government market for its members, PSC is the most respected industry voice and leader on legislative and regulatory policy issues related to government procurement, outsourcing and related business policy. PSC helps shape public policy, leads strategic coalitions, and works to build consensus between government and industry.
