On January 31, 2018, we hosted our fifth Reverse Industry Day. These events provide a unique opportunity for industry representatives to share their perspectives on the federal acquisition environment with DHS acquisition professionals. The theme of this event was Where Acquisition, Innovation, Cybersecurity, and Technology Intersect, making it our first exclusive technology‑focused Reverse Industry Day. Our Office of the Chief Procurement Officer and Office of the Chief Information Officer worked collaboratively to host the event, which featured exciting topics including Rapid Acquisition of Cybersecurity Resources and Understanding Procurement Challenges to Technology Innovation.
As the Department’s Acting Deputy Chief Procurement Officer, I was honored to introduce the keynote address of the Honorable Claire M. Grady, Under Secretary for Management. She addressed an audience of over 500 of our acquisition professionals. Also attending were representatives from seven industry associations, four federal agencies, and one congressional committee. Also speaking during the day were William Bryan, Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Under Secretary for Science and Technology; Dr. John Zangardi, Chief Information Officer; Martin Gross, Director of the Office of Cybersecurity and Communications; These leaders did an outstanding job setting the tone for our sessions, which were led by exceptional individuals from our industry community who were eager to teach the DHS acquisition workforce about their perspectives on critical topics. Chief Procurement Officer Soraya Correa was unable to attend, but upon hearing about the event’s success, she remarked, “With this group of speakers, and the exceptional work of our event planners, I knew it would be exceptional!”
Planning for the Department’s sixth Reverse Industry Day, focused on data center optimization, is already underway. We promote these events, and others like it, under the Department’s Acquisition Innovations in Motions (AIiM) framework. We launched AliM in 2015 to support Unity of Effort at DHS by creating recurring, meaningful engagements with industry designed to improve the manner in which DHS does business. For more information about acquisition‑focused activity at the Department please visit: www.dhs.gov/do-business-dhs.