An Analysis of the Effect of Knowledge Management on the Execution of Simplified Acquisition Procedures

Abstract

Simplified acquisition procedures (SAPs) are a fundamental and ubiquitous component of federal contracting and are executed by acquisition professionals at all levels of government. Because of their relative simplicity, procurements using SAPs are often left to less experienced personnel who are in the inchoate stages of developing their skills and knowledge. Knowledge management (KM) represents the effective organization, dissemination, and utilization of an enterprises knowledge resources. When designed and executed with sagacity, KM can be used to enhance an organizations effectiveness in executing its mission with consistent and efficacious expertise. The goal of this research is to enable a contracting function to employ KM to gain a competitive advantage in procurements using SAP by leveraging existing databases, expertise, available training, and other sources of enterprise knowledge.