Topics on this page: Mission | Organization Responsibilities | Key Personnel
Mission
The Office of Acquisitions (OA) provides leadership, guidance, and oversight to constituent organizations, and coordinates long and short-range planning for HHS’ acquisition practices, systems, and workforce. OA provides technical assistance to the Department’s Divisions; evaluates effectiveness of the acquisition programs and processes; develops pertinent HHS-wide regulatory guidance, policies, and performance standards; maintains Departmental contract award information; and conducts special Departmental initiatives related to acquisitions. OA provides input for coordinated Department positions on proposed legislation and Government regulations specific to acquisition related matters, executes Department-wide strategic acquisitions and shared services provider, processes suspension and debarment cases, and manages activities associated with the training, development, and certification of —and strategic planning for the Department’s acquisition workforce. The Office of Acquisitions is comprised of four offices:
- Office of Strategic Programs and Business Systems (SPBS)
- Office of Acquisition Policy, Legislative Oversight and Workforce (APLOW)
- Office of Mission Acquisition Solutions (OMAS)
- Office of Recipient Integrity Coordination (ORIC)
Organization Responsibilities
The Office of Strategic Programs and Business Systems is comprised of the following three divisions:
- Acquisition Business Systems
- Category Management
- Acquisition Program Support
Through these three divisions, SPBS is responsible for
- Managing the HHS Strategic Sourcing and Government Purchase Card Programs
- Serving as the Business Owner for various acquisition systems and programing systems modernization
- Developing Department-wide standards for acquisition systems to include policies and guidance
- Managing contract data quality initiatives and related programs/systems
- Leading HHS acquisition innovation initiatives
- Providing outreach to industry partners
- Participating in Government-wide boards, councils, and other forums related to e-business initiatives
The Office of Acquisition Policy, Legislative Oversight and Workforce is comprised of the following three divisions:
- Acquisition Policy
- Acquisition Oversight
- Acquisition Workforce and Strategic Initiatives
Through these three divisions, APLOW is responsible for:
- Department-wide HHS Acquisition Policies and Guidance.
- Publishing and amending the HHS Acquisition Regulation (HHSAR).
- Participating in Government-wide acquisition rule-making through the Civilian Agency Acquisition Council (CAAC)
- Managing the HHS Competition Advocate and Delivery/Task Order Ombudsman Programs
- Conducting procurement management reviews and measuring acquisition performance
- Providing guidance and review of acquisition documentation, as submitted by HHS operational divisions, to ensure it meets or exceeds the Federal acquisition compliance level required to merit approval by the Senior Procurement Executive
- Managing the HHS acquisition workforce development programs
- Ensuring the HHS acquisition workforce has access to professional development, centralized training and resources to maintain certification
- Manage and support the HHS School-House, a one-stop shop that will meet the training and professional development needs of the HHS Acquisition Workforce
- Being the standard bearer for governance and oversight of the HHS acquisition lifecycle framework
- Participating in Government-wide boards, councils, and other forums related to Federal workforce initiatives and acquisition related activities
The Office of Mission Acquisition Solutions is comprised of the following four divisions:
- HHS Mission Contracting
- Strategic Buying Center for Information Technology
- Strategic Buying Center for Professional Services
- Procurement Operations Support
Through these four divisions, OMAS is responsible for:
- Providing full life-cycle acquisition support for the Office of the Secretary (OS), Staff Divisions, Administration for Children and Families (ACF) and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)
- Providing strategic buying of common information technology and professional services for all HHS Divisions to leverage the Department’s buying power to lower unit costs, create process efficiencies and standardize relevant supplies and services for increased quality and value
- Providing acquisition support services to customers, educate and train on modernized tools and business processes
The Office of Recipient Integrity Coordination is responsible for:
- Managing the HHS Suspension and Debarment program for contracts and grants
- Coordinating with suspension and debarment stakeholders to adjudicate referrals
- Interacting with respondents who are identified as potentially non-responsible parties
- Preparing suspension and debarment documentation for the Suspension and Debarment Official (SDO)
- Participating in the Suspension and Debarment Officials Council
- Conducting trainings across HHS to ensure a better understanding of the suspension and debarment process