OFPP launches podcast series to talk TechFAR, playbook

Anne Rung, administrator of the Office of Management and Budget's Office of Federal Procurement Policy, has made good on her promise to host a series of podcasts highlighting successes with some of the agency's prominent procurement tools.

Rung announced on March 3 that she would use the series to show how federal agencies are successfully taking advantage of the Digital Services Playbook and the TechFAR Handbook. The announcement was among a number of tweaks to an OMB memo released in January that expanded category management practices and digital acquisition strategies, and championed more effective vendor engagement on large-scale IT projects.

"The workforce wanted an interactive way to send and receive solutions that enhance the value of IT procurements for customers and taxpayers," Rung wrote in a March 11 blog post. "Those suggestions led to the creation of the Behind the Buy audio series, or podcast, a human-centered design approach that allows procurement and program offices to listen and learn about innovative IT contracting strategies while carrying on their daily work responsibilities."

The inaugural podcast features Mark Naggar, project manager of the Department of Health and Human Services' Buyers Club. He details his use of the TechFAR Handbook and the Digital Services Playbook, noting that he tapped play No. 4, "build the service using agile and iterative practices," to help his team quickly contract with multiple vendors for development of IT system prototypes.

He said the approach helped increase customer satisfaction and vendor engagement and ultimately reduced delivery time from six months to two months.