“Agencies are using emerging technology and agile practices to deliver transparency and support critical agency missions, according to leaders from the Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.”
“For HHS Chief Technology Officer for the Division of Acquisition Oki Mek, some of those efforts are solving the agency’s business needs…”
“The agency is working with blockchain technology (it became the first agency to receive federal authority to operate in December) to assist its acquisition process, Mek added. As part of the BuySmarter initiative and HHS Accelerate, which also incorporates machine learning and robotic process automation, the blockchain system supports standardization of acquisition data throughout HHS and its related agencies like CMS. This provides more price visibility and transparency to reduce unnecessary costs and help purchasers make better decisions, Mek said…”
“Another common challenge among federal agencies is when a product or service is purchased without a clear action plan, said Todd Simpson, chief product officer at HHS…”
“Having a central place to identify what exists and who owns which resources would greatly improve cost efficiency and transparency for customers, Simpson said. Currently, Simpson and his team are working on establishing an administrative data hub — which will house HHS Accelerate procurement data along with other data sets — to not only bridge communication disconnects between customers, but also to build overall better community practices around the products being delivered, he said.” Read the full article here.
Source: HHS, CMS on Data, Human-Centered Design in Agile Acquisition – By Faith Ryan, July 1, 2019. GovernmentCIO.
