It's Time for a Fresh Brew



Welcome to the steaming, frothy, exuberant world of acquisition innovation! New types of contracts, new way of contracting, agreements in place of contracts. For contract management professionals, it’s a time of lots of adventure and lots to learn.

I believe that learning happens most effectively practitioner to practitioner over a hot requirement that needed to be met yesterday. That’s why I’ve pushed to create this blog and this hub—to showcase what bold people are thinking, trying and succeeding at using new practices, new authorities, new techniques new technologies, and new mindsets.

This also is a home for creative thinkers who push the existing rules and methods as far as they will go, who see the old authorities with the sparkle of new eyes. Those mischief makers who prefer to say: “Show me where it says I can’t,” rather than to ask, “How can I comply?”

NCMA wants to welcome and build space for the daring to share their stories, bruises, wins, losses, dreams, and fears. It’s only person to person that we truly find the comradeship to sustain us as we launch challenges, the collaboration to nurture our ambition, and the understanding to console and re-energize us when we run up against seemingly immovable obstacles.

There is a virtuous acquisition innovation insurgency around and among us in contracting. Some are leaders in NCMA, but many more have yet to join. Consider this hub enticement and encouragement to those insurgents to come inside the castle to break bread and lift a goblet with your fellows—both those you know and those you don’t yet.

Let NCMA be the safe space where doubters and true believers lay down shield and sword and engage in that sweetest of human endeavors: storytelling. It is, after all, the oldest form of human communication. To this day, most of us can’t resist the siren call: “Let me tell you about the time. . .”

So, welcome one and all to this hub of intellectual ferment and respectful trading in ideas and solutions. This is your place that we’ve created for you to mold and shape. If I know the insurgency, there soon will be ball caps, bottle caps, and cap guns littering the desks. Come in, make yourselves at home.

Let’s make friends, make change, make noise, and make this world a better place!

Outside the Box Blog

Thoughtful commentary every week from Anne Laurent and the community about trends, surprises, lessons, and cautions in pursuit of Acquisition Innovation. Stay up to speed on acquisition innovation here.
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