Following the success of our internal and government‑wide Procurement Innovation Lab (PIL) “Boot Camps,” we decided to get industry more involved in our efforts to keep the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) leaning forward in adopting innovative business practices. My team recently hosted two highly interactive one‑day PIL Boot Camp for Industry Pilot Workshops. During the workshops we shared with industry representatives the innovative tools and techniques that we are infusing into our acquisition ecosystem at DHS. Over 80 attendees from 70 companies and associations attended the Boot Camps. Industry plays an important role in helping us deliver on our mission, and having meaningful and continuous communications with industry matters. The Boot Camps afforded us the opportunity to explore the intent and impact of nine innovation techniques with industry representatives. We put industry teams through innovation challenges where they were able to experience first-hand the complexities and constraints our acquisition teams face.
I want to thank the industry associations for identifying industry participants who added considerable value to the Boot Camps via meaningful two‑way dialogue and, of course, the participants for taking the time to help DHS remain a business partner of choice. I also want to thank our Deputy Under Secretary for Management, Chip Fulghum, and Lesley Field and Mathew Blum of the Office of Federal Procurement Policy for their contributions to the Boot Camps and for their continued support of the PIL.
Learn more about the PIL and view our Boot Camp Workbook at www.dhs.gov/PIL.