How do acquisition professionals balance quality with price discounts?
There is a well known tradeoff among quality, schedule, and price, and it is the job of government acquisition professionals to maximize the government’s value considering these and other factors. A reduced price does not necessarily result in reduced quality. Vendors routinely provide discounts without sacrificing quality or affecting schedule. Strategic Sourcing ranges from the obvious volume discounts, to reengineering processes and relationships to identify and eliminate false tradeoffs. Many suppliers routinely provide better value at lower costs year after year, by: • Applying innovation • Working with buyers to support demand management • Eliminating non-value added “requirements” • Identifying ways to otherwise reduce the costs of doing business The government will focus on price improvements, but not at the expense of: • Quality • Supporting socio-economic goals • Reducing total cost of ownership • Maintaining or improving value to the end users • Improving our detailed visibi
