11.4. Agile Procurement

Agile procurement is a collaborative approach that focuses on outcomes.  The government and organizations works together to design procurements in an iterative approach to get results.  Changes are welcomed, the product is delivered frequently, and people work together throughout the project. It is a new approach that is dynamic in nature.  Bottom line is that it is collaborative, less strict than traditional project management, and is less conforming to the rules.

Robert Merrill points out that “many procurement processes naturally follow or even mandate a negotiation-based approach that is directly at odds with the kind of living order thinking found in the Agile Manifesto, which emphasizes ‘collaboration over contract negotiation’” (pers. comm., June 15, 2018). Nevertheless, some organizations and governments are beginning to rethink their procurement processes in hopes of making them more Agile and, as a result, less costly.