The Public Needs to Know Free Essays

The Acquisition Process Competition Requirements Choconda Martin BUS 319 November 5, 2012 Professor Calvin D. Fogle Almost all DOD systems are competed at some stage in the acquisition system (we would guess that less than 10% of acquisition programs do not go through a competitive process at least once in their acquisition cycle). Generally, the sequence is: †¢ Define the requirement (determine the mismatch between operational capability–more about this below); †¢ Advertise the need for a product that can satisfy the requirement; †¢ Accept bids from potential suppliers; †¢ Review proposals and select one or more suppliers, Order the product; †¢ Monitor progress; †¢ Accept the finished product; †¢ Review project documentation and pay for the product. We will write a custom essay sample on The Public Needs to Know or any similar topic only for you Order Now This cycle repeats itself one or more times during system development and one or more times during procurement (purchase of a major end item previously developed or available commercially). For large systems, procurement follows a highly demanding DOD-funded development process and the prime manufacturer, almost by necessity, is the developer. In such cases, the competitive steps for a given phase of the acquisition process (listed above) would not be repeated during the procurement phase. Some things that I would change would be the misconception of communication within the industry during acquisition processing. The Federal Government has an obligation to conduct procurements in the most effective, responsible and efficient manner possible. Current market information is very vital as they define the requirements, so that the contracting officers can develop the acquisition strategies, seek opportunities for small businesses, and negotiate contract terms. Industry partners are the best source for this information, so productive interactions is very important and should be encouraged. The Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) authorizes a broad range opportunites for vendor communication, but agencies most time do not take advantage of these existing flexibilities. Some agencies may be reluctant due to fear of protests or fear binding the agency in unauthorized commitments. If we increase the awareness by training the agencies with the help of DAU (Defense Acquisition University) and agency training practitioners to conduct an awareness campaign we might be able to eliminate unnecessary barriers to engagement. Agencies should provide clear, consistent direction to their workforce and industry partners about how to engage with industry prior to award of contracts and task and delivery orders under the Federal Supply Schedule, government-wide acquisition contracts, and other indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contracts. While agencies do not have the resources, and are not required, to meet with every vendor at every step of the acquisition process, information gathered from industry sources plays an invaluable role in the acquisition process. For this reason, agencies must develop practices that will ensure early, frequent, and constructive communication during key phases of the process. The federal government’s ability to achieve successful program outcomes, effectively and efficiently, depends upon agencies establishing effective strategies for industry engagement and supporting those strategies with senior-level commitment. References Co-Workers/Supervisor/FAR How to cite The Public Needs to Know, Papers The Public Needs to Know Free Essays Running Header: The Public The Public Needs To Know Tristanjay V. Llantada Dr. Yatia Yasmeen ENG115 NOV 19, 2012 The Public Needs to Know All across America, our youth faces an obesity crisis. We will write a custom essay sample on The Public Needs to Know or any similar topic only for you Order Now But how exactly do we stop this obesity epidemic? It is a fact to anyone that children today are consuming so many snacks and beverages and eating too little nutritious foods. â€Å"Currently only 1%-2% of US children meet the recommended Dietary Guidelines for Americans, the national nutrition standards for dietary intake necessary for optimal health† (Crawford, 2011). Children’s intake in nutritional foods doesn’t even come close to the current recommendations. An important way we can provide for our children is give them access to healthier foods. â€Å"The proposed Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 will do that by making significant improvement to our federally funded school meat program† (Crawford, 2011). This act will have changes to the National School Lunch Program and the National School Breakfast program in which school meals will have the dietary recommendation that is stated in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. If these standards are proposed, school meals will have more servings of nutritional foods. Examples would be fruit, vegetables, whole grain and nonfat milk. Foods that have more fat, sugar and sodium will have a decrease in servings. Current and Proposed School Meal Requirements: Breakfast | | Current Requirement| Proposed Requirement| Fruit| 1/2 cup per day| 1 cup per day| Grains and Meat/Meat Alternate| 2 grains or 2 meat/meat alternates or 1 of each per day| 1. 4-2 grains per day plus: 1-2 meat/meat alternates per day (Range reflects difference by grade group)| Whole Grains| Encouraged| At least half of the grains to be rich in whole grain| Milk| 1 cup| 1 cup, fat content of milk to be 1% or less| Current and Proposed School Meal Requirements: Lunch | | Current Requirement| Proposed Requirement| Fruits and Vegetables| 1/2-1 cup of fruit and vegetables combined per day| 3/4-1 cup of vegetables plus 1/2-1 cup of fruit per day| Vegetables| No specification as to type of vegetables| Weekly requirement for dark green and orange vegetables and legumes and limits on starchy vegetables| Meat/Meat Alternate| 1. 5-3 oz equivalents (daily average over 5-day week)| 1. -2. 4 oz equivalents (daily average over 5-day week)| Grains| 1. 8-3 oz equivalents (daily average over 5-day week)| 1. 8-2. 6 oz equivalents (daily average over 5-day week)| Whole Grains| Encouraged| At least half of the grains to be rich in whole grain| Milk| 1 cup| 1 cup, fat content of milk to be 1% or less| From Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service. Federal Register. Nutrition Standards in the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs. 2011 Jan 13; 76(9):2499. You might say, â€Å"Why are schools taking action, but it’s up to the parents to decide what their children eat? Yes, parents are responsible for their children but schools also take care of children the most part of their lives. â€Å"Children receive up to half of their calories at school in the form of school lunches, breakfasts, and snacks† (Crawford, 2011). To help with the cause, Virginia farms have combined into this program. â€Å"The Virginia Farm to School program is an effort to increase the amount of fresh and nutritious Virginia Grown products offered in schools and to promote opportunities for schools and local farms to work together† (Virginia Department of Agricultural and Consumer Services, 2012). Integrating locally grown products into school meals will also support local economies, minimize transportation costs and help preserve farm and farm land. This program is a great way to teach our children on how to eat healthy throughout their school life and beyond. The recommended changes in the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act will improve the â€Å"nutritional content of more than 41 million meals served per day to our nation’s children† (Crawford, 2011). We as adults are our children’s protectors, and must support these new meal standards that will provide healthier food choices for our children. By taking in these standards, we will prevent obesity and reduce future health cost. I would say it is the right thing to do for our children. Reference Crawford, P. , (2011). New Standards for the National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs: It’s the Right Thing to Do, Retrieved from http://www. medscape. org/viewarticle/740432 Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, (2012) Marketing and Development Retrieved from http://www. vdacs. virginia. gov/marketing/farm-news. shtml How to cite The Public Needs to Know, Essay examples