Inside the Business of Government

In this episode, Mike Derrios sits down with Ben Allen of Appian to explore the future of AI in federal acquisition. Their conversation covers governed autonomy, AI-assisted procurement, workforce transformation, data challenges, source selection, contracting models for AI solutions, and how agencies can responsibly adopt automation while maintaining accountability.

"Use AI where AI is needed. If something is deterministic, use rules instead."

Drawing on analogies from autonomous vehicles and aviation safety, Ben shares practical insights on balancing innovation with oversight and explains how AI can become a trusted "coworker" rather than a replacement for acquisition professionals.

• AI adoption should be guided by risk, not hype.
• Human accountability remains essential for acquisition decisions.
• Rules-based automation should be used before applying AI to deterministic tasks.
• Strong governance requires multiple layers of safeguards.
• Data portability and model flexibility are foundational requirements for AI procurement.
• The future acquisition workforce will need stronger analytical and advisory skills.
• Successful AI adoption depends as much on people and change management as technology.

How can government acquire cutting-edge technology faster, attract innovative companies, and deliver better outcomes? In this episode of Inside the Business of Government: Where Policy Meets Practice, host Mike Derrios sits down with Dr. Dolores Kuchina-Musina, researcher, practitioner, educator, and author of Rethinking Innovation in Public Procurement: The History and Practice of Other Transaction Authorities.

Dolores explores the history, purpose, and evolution of OTAs, from their origins in the Space Act and NASA to their growing role across the federal government today. She breaks down common misconceptions about OTAs, explains how they differ from traditional FAR-based contracting, and discusses why flexibility, collaboration, and innovation are central to their success.

Key Takeaways

• OTAs are not procurement shortcuts; they are alternative business models designed for innovation.
• Flexibility and collaboration are the core advantages of OTAs.
• OTAs continue to attract nontraditional contractors and commercial technology providers.
• Better success-story tracking may be more valuable than simply collecting additional award data.
• Agencies need more specialized OTA expertise and training.
• The future of acquisition reform may depend on empowering innovation while maintaining accountability.

Featured Resource

Rethinking Innovation in Public Procurement: The History and Practice of Other Transaction Authorities
By Dr. Dolores Kuchina-Musina

A practical guide exploring the history, evolution, and implementation of OTAs across the federal government.

Dr. Dolores Kuchina-Musina is a government contracting expert, researcher, educator, and thought leader specializing in Other Transaction Authorities (OTAs), acquisition innovation, and public procurement. With experience spanning commercial contracting, shipyard operations, federal acquisition, and academic research, she has become a leading voice on how government can leverage alternative acquisition models to accelerate innovation and mission outcomes.

Bonnie Evangelista argues that better outcomes come from moving quickly, learning from mistakes, and keeping the mission at the center of acquisition decisions. Evangelista calls for faster learning cycles and modular contracting so government can adapt as needs and technologies change. She also urges agencies to shape requirements around viable commercial products and create clear pathways for promising technology to reach the mission.

Two key takeaways:

• Shorten the path from decision to learning: Use faster learning cycles and modular contracting to test, adapt, and deliver value sooner.
• Connect acquisition to mission impact: Align requirements with useful commercial capabilities and build pathways that help promising technologies reach the people who need them.

With two quotes to help guide the conversation:

"There are a bunch of humans who are trying to do the best they can. And oftentimes the friction points are that we get lost in a lot of people trying to be right instead of trying to get it right." [00:08:02]

"It is not the vendor’s job to figure out who’s going to cut the contract and what their future should look like. It’s our job to figure out how to get the vendor’s solutions into the right places at the right time." [00:49:13]

Jon Baba, a Guidehouse partner with 30 years of experience in defense transformation, argues that AI can do more than speed up paperwork: it can help Defense leaders see where the industrial base is fragile, decide where to invest, and get critical capabilities into the field faster. In conversation with host Mike Derrios, he explains how empowered portfolio acquisition executives could use better data to make tough trade-offs—and how AI might lower the contracting barriers that often keep small and nontraditional suppliers out. They also tackle the hard part: building trust, maintaining human judgment, and improving sustainment alongside acquisition. Baba’s proposed North Star: field faster, sustain better, and achieve readiness.

“You’re always making trade-offs between those three. And I think right now you can feel the impetus is really around schedule. It’s about speed.” [00:18:48]

How Is HHS Transforming Federal Acquisition to Better Serve Its Life-Saving Mission?

"It's so important to have operational people and operational experience writing policy because if you've never really done the operational work, you don't understand the reality of getting contracts awarded." Jennifer Johnson

In this episode of the Greg and Camille Baroni Center Podcast, host Mike Derrios speaks with Jennifer Johnson, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Acquisition and Senior Procurement Executive at HHS. Jennifer shares her career journey from private sector contracting to federal acquisition leadership. She discusses HHS's significant workforce reductions and rebuilding efforts, her vision for a strategic and mission-focused acquisition enterprise, and the implementation of FAR regulatory overhauls. Jennifer emphasizes the importance of leadership, calculated risk-taking, and transparent communication in driving cultural change within federal procurement.

In this episode of the Greg and Camille Baroni Center podcast, host Mike Derrios speaks with Trevor Wagner, Director of The LAB (Learn, Assess, Build) for Acquisition Innovation at the Department of Commerce. Wagner discusses how meaningful innovation in federal acquisition is rooted in culture and mindset change rather than technology. He highlights the Revolutionary FAR Overhaul's emphasis on professional judgment, the importance of early industry engagement, and leadership support for thoughtful risk-taking. Using NOAA's cloud transition as a success story, Wagner demonstrates how robust market research and streamlined processes drive competition and better outcomes. He also addresses protest mitigation, measuring innovation, and fostering open government-industry communication.

Food for Thought—There's so much more in the recording!

"If a person or a program wants to try something new to obtain some sort of value or benefit, then we think that they are innovating and we want to support them." [00:03:22]

"We must disabuse the notion that including industry throughout our market research and our requirements building is risky. On the inverse, not doing it is super risky." [00:24:04]

In this episode of "Inside the Business of Government," host Mike Derrios speaks with Soraya Correa, CEO of the National Industries for the Blind and former DHS Chief Procurement Officer.

They explore critical challenges facing the federal acquisition workforce, including historic attrition, heavy workloads, and the loss of experienced mentors:

• 00:03:46, 'What we've lost is a lot of experience and capability to help and mentor others.'

Soraya emphasizes the importance of leadership, strategic thinking, and industry engagement in procurement:

• 00:11:50, 'If it [the contract] doesn't work out, that's on me. If it works out well, you get to take all the credit.'
• 00:12:40, 'We're not going to work out of fear. We're going to focus on doing the right thing for the right reasons.'
• 00:15:35, 'I've been there. I lived that life. I came up as a contracting professional from contract specialist all the way up to contracting officer to become a CPO.'

The conversation also covers the FAR overhaul, AI's role in acquisition, and strategies for attracting new talent for the federal workforce:

• 00:29:00, 'What makes this job important is that we are sitting at the table helping deliver a mission that impacts the American people we serve.'
• 00:30:08, 'I love this country. I love my government, and I want to be a part of always making it better and more efficient.'

Soraya concludes with advice urging small businesses to proactively advocate for themselves rather than feeling undervalued:

• 00:40:02, 'Don't let someone else decide what your value proposition is. Find your own value.'

In this episode of the Greg and Camille Baroni Center podcast, host Mike Derrios speaks with Alexa Tsui, CEO of Forum, about evolving go-to-market strategies in government contracting. Alexa shares her unconventional journey from English teacher to BD and capture executive, then discusses how COVID and AI disrupted traditional business development approaches. She emphasizes the importance of integrated storytelling, founder-led growth, thought leadership, and outcome-based positioning over capability-focused pitching. Alexa also addresses relationship-building, event strategies, RFI responses, and the risks of remaining stagnant in a rapidly changing federal acquisition landscape.

Two quotes to pique your interest:

"All of those traditional GovCons that don't move and look alive and do things differently are going to be like Blockbuster in two years." ['00:16:58']

"'Go to market is a movement, and if you're not moving, you'll be left behind." ['00:25:43']