First, acquire the skills and the skulls

DoD needs robust acquisition work force

The Pentagon's new contracting rules call for more competition, increased emphasis on defining requirements, setting firm prices, implementing smarter incentives for cutting costs and avoiding overruns, and better scrutiny of procurements.

There potentially is a big payoff to Pentagon acquisition chief Ashton Carter's reform, outlined in a Sept. 14 memo, of how the Defense Department goes about spending $400 billion a year in goods and services.

The most important next step for Carter is to ensure the department's acquisition work force has the skills, numbers and understanding of the new rules to implement the reforms.

The reforms will add a bigger and more complex workload upon contracting staffs. They will need to: coordinate more with program managers early on to better define requirements; increase competition among vendors; award more contracts to small businesses; do more market research to set pricing targets; and negotiate contracts that use incentives more effectively to minimize risk and control costs.

This requires robust training and development, clear guidance for the acquisition work force and far more acquisition professionals to meet the increased workload.

staff training must be updated and adequate resources must be directed toward developing a work force that fosters competition and demands cost efficiencies. Nothing is more critical as the department aims to trim and redirect billions of dollars in overhead costs.

it will be vital to provide guidance to the work force on how to execute the new rules while allowing flexibility to make decisions that best promote competition, innovation and efficiencies.

Carter's plan could truly reform Defense Department procurement. But getting these next steps right, and close monitoring of how these reforms are playing out, will be critical to success.