Doctoral
student Zachary Huitink co-authors IBM report
Report,
prepared with PAIA’s David Van Slyke, looks at improving Defense acquisition
On November
10, the IBM Center for the Business of Government issued a report called “Beyond Business as Usual: Improving Defense Acquisition
through Better Buying Power” that was jointly authored by Zachary Huitink, a
PhD student in public administration, and David Van Slyke, Louis A. Bantle
Chair in Business and Government Policy and chair of PAIA.
“This
is one of the first full-scale examinations of the Department of Defense’s
‘Better Buying Power’ initiatives,” says IBM. The Better Buying Power (BBP)
initiatives were launched in 2010 by current Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter
in his previous position as Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition,
Technology and Logistics. The goal of the initiatives is to get more for each
dollar DOD spends on buying goods and services. The third version of the
program, Better Buying Power 3.0, was announced in April 2015.
“Funding for public management research is limited and and the
competition is significant to receive one of the IBM Center for the Business of
Government’s small number of awards. That a project proposal submitted by a
doctoral student was funded speaks strongly to the quality inherent in the work
set forth by Zach,” says Van Slyke, chair Public Administration and
International Affair. “The center’s praise for the ultimate report and the
rigor and quality of analysis is a strong endorsement of Zach Huitink’s
systematic and objective research. He is the first doctoral student in the public
administration and international affairs department to receive this prestigious
source of funding and recognition. I’m confident we can expect continued high
quality research and analysis from Zach in the future.”
“I was honored to
receive a grant from the IBM Center, and deeply grateful for the opportunity it
afforded Dr. Van Slyke and me to conduct research on an issue with real
relevance to U.S. national security,” says Huitink. “I am also grateful to the
Maxwell School's Department of Public Administration and International Affairs,
as well as to the Campbell Public Affairs Institute, each of which provided
additional support for the project. Given the current pressure on the defense
budget and the unprecedented mix of security challenges confronting the nation,
maximizing the return both taxpayers and war fighters receive from each dollar
invested in defense acquisition is critical. We sincerely hope our case study
of Better Buying Power makes a contribution to this effort, as well as advances
the objective of connecting scholarship with practice to address key public
policy challenges.”
- achieving
affordability and controlling costs;
- promoting competition;
- providing incentives;
- reducing bureaucracy; and
- improving
services acquisition.
For
each core initiative, the authors examine the motivation for the initiative,
experience to date and the challenges facing
each. The report sets forth eight lessons learned about implementing acquisition reform.
Although
Better Buying Power was launched within the Department of Defense, the report's authors
conclude that there is government-wide applicability of the
initiative. The report concludes with three government-wide
recommendations:
- Continue
to pursue the idea of "agile" acquisition.
- Maintain and enhance the focus on improving services
acquisition.
- Further the effort to build partnerships outside the traditional
industrial base.