The American Council for Technology and Industry Advisory Council (ACT-IAC) presented the 2017 John J. Franke Award to Mathew Blum, Associate Administrator of the Office of Federal Procurement Policy, Office of Management and Budget. This award is bestowed annually at the ACT-IAC Management of Change (MOC) conference to a government employee who has made extraordinary and long-term contributions to creating a more effective, innovative and responsive government.
Mr. Blum is a career public servant who has spent the past two decades working to improve and streamline the Federal procurement process. He is the government's foremost expert on federal contracting, and his sustained excellence in this field has directly impacted hundreds of thousands of federal employees, contractors and subcontractors, and has shaped the way in which the government spends almost half a trillion dollars in federal contracts each year.
In his role as an Associate Administrator in the Office of Federal Procurement Policy, he has played an important role in shaping foundational acquisition legislation -- including the Federal Acquisition Streamlining Act (FASA), the Clinger-Cohen Act, the Services Acquisition Reform Act (SARA) – as well as important acquisition initiatives across various Administrations. A proactive leader who seeks new solutions, he recognized that complexity in the acquisition system often hinders technological innovation. To address this issue, he and his team wrote the "TechFAR" to elevate existing FAR authorities for acquiring information technology. He then crafted guidance to direct agencies to institutionalize innovation in their acquisition practices and complemented this effort with joint acquisition and IT training programs.
He has led the development of almost every Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) to implement legislation, Executive action, and other guidance. He is masterful at negotiating the details with agencies and is forever mindful of the burden that changes to the system place on contracting officers, program managers, and industry. The result is always a thoughtful implementation - often paired with outreach and training for the more complex rules – that artfully balances many competing demands and policy positions.
Throughout his career Mr. Blum has contributed to the development of those who work for and with him. He is also a strong supporter of public-private collaboration and readily listens to different points of view. ACT-IAC Executive Director Kenneth Allen stated, "Mathew Blum consistently demonstrates a commitment to public service and the highest professional standards. He exemplifies the passion, expertise and integrity for which John Franke was known. We are delighted to present him with the 2017 John J. Franke award."
The IAC Executive Committee announced its new leadership while at the Management of Change conference. In accordance with the IAC bylaws, an election was held to select new members of the IAC Executive Committee effective July 1. The following individuals have been elected to the IAC Executive Committee as Vice Chairs at Large: Susan Becker (Unisys); Ivette Granier-Smith (General Dynamics Information Technology); Malcolm Harden (CGI Federal); Rick Holgate (Gartner); Cynthia Shelton (CenturyLink); Sundar Vaidyanathan (Karsun Solutions); Tim Young (Deloitte). They join current Executive Committee members Kathy Conrad (Accenture); Marty Cummings (Integrated Support Systems); Jackie Everett (DXC); and Paul Strasser (PPC). Richard Spires (LearningTree) has been elected IAC Executive Vice Chair and will become IAC Chair in 2018. The IAC Chair as of July 1, 2017 will be Mitzi Mead (Accela Consulting). Current IAC Executive Chair Dave McClure stated, "This is a truly exceptional executive committee with a broad range of relevant expertise and experience. I know that this committee, under the leadership of incoming Executive Chair Mitzi Mead and Vice Chair Richard Spires, will continue to strengthen ACT-IAC in a way that benefits our entire community."
About ACT-IAC – Advancing Government Through Education, Collaboration and Action The American Council for Technology and Industry Advisory Council (ACT-IAC) is a non-profit educational organization established to improve government's service delivery and operational performance through the effective and innovative application of technology. ACT-IAC provides a unique, objective and trusted collaborative forum where government and industry executives are working as partners to address critical issues, apply best practices and pioneer innovative solutions. ACT-IAC also provides high-quality learning and educational opportunities to improve the knowledge and expertise of the government workforce – both public and private. Further information about ACT-IAC can be found at www.actiac.org.
