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Professional Reading: Negotiating Advice from Gordon Wade Rule
Introduction by Vernon J.
Edwards
March
2019 |
I think I can safely say
that Gordon Wade Rule was the most famous and respected U.S.
contracting officer in history. He retired from Government service
as chief of the Navy’s Procurement Control and Clearance Division in
1977 and died of cancer at the age of 75 in Washington D.C. in 1982.
In an obituary, The Washington Post described him as “an
iconoclastic Navy cost-cutter who excoriated cabinet members,
admirals and senior legislators he viewed as obstructers of his
relentless war on waste and unaccountability in weapons buying.”
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The First Hoover
Commission's Report on an
Office of General Services
February 1949 |
On July 7, 1947, The Lodge-Brown Act of
1947, established The Commission on
Organization of the Executive Branch of the Government. The
Commission was given its popular name―The Hoover Commission―for
its Chairman, former
President Herbert Hoover. Since Hoover chaired a
second commission under President Eisenhower, this Commission became
known as the First Hoover Commission. The stated purpose of the
Commission was to review the Executive branch of Government and to
recommend ways to reorganize and improve it. When it began to
issue its reports in 1949, they were met with acclaim both inside
and outside of the government. This Commission report, among
other recommendations, recommended the creation of an Office of
General Services. Within 5 months of this report's issuance,
the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949 was
enacted. Soon after that, the General Services Administration
was established. All current
General Services Administration employees should read this report
since it is the basis for their agency. Additionally, all
individuals involved in federal contracting and logistics should
review it. Finally, those that seek to change central supply
in the future should read this report also.
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The Art of Negotiation —— Gordon
Wade Rule |
In 1962, a legend in the area of
contracting—Gordon
Rule—wrote
this guide and dedicated it to his country. The guide includes
his thoughts on who should negotiate, what to do and what not to do
during negotiations, and the proper attitude for negotiations.
Although not restricted to the field of contract negotiations, the
guide does include information that is valuable to those who will
negotiate the terms of a contract.
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The Commission on
Government Procurement (December 1972)
Volume 1 - Part A: General Procurement Considerations
Volume 2 - Part B: Acquisition of Research and Development
Volume 2 - Part C: Acquisition of Major Systems
Volume 3 - Part D: Acquisition of Commercial Products
Volume 3 - Part E:
Acquisition of Construction and
Architect-Engineer Services
Volume 3 - Part F:
Federal Grant-Type Assistance Programs
Volume 4 -
Part G: Legal
and Administrative Remedies
Volume 4 - Part H:
Selected Issues of Liability, Government Property and Catastrophic
Accidents
Volume 4 - Part I: Patents, Technical Data, and Copyrights
Volume 4 - Part J: Other Statutory Considerations
Supplement: Index, Bibliography, Acronyms
Index
GAO Monitoring of Progress
on Implementation of Recommendations
Progress of Executive Branch Action on Recommendations of the
Commission on Government Procurement. (September 19, 1973)
Recommendations of the Commission on Government Procurement:
Executive Branch Progress and Status. (January 31, 1974)
Executive Branch
Action on Recommendations of the Commission on Government
Procurement: Progress Status, Responsiveness. (July 31,
1974)
Executive Branch
Actions on Recommendations of the Commission on Government
Procurement. (December 19, 1975)
Legislative
Recommendations of the Commission on Government Procurement: 5 Years
Later. (July 31, 1978)
Implementation of
of the Recommendations of the Commission on Government Procurement:
A Final Assessment (May 31,
1979) |
For years, I have been trying to find a copy of
the Commission on Government Procurement (COGP) online. I
finally found it. In my opinion, it is the most significant
study of the contracting process since it was published in 1972.
By looking at the Parts to the left, you should realize the
thoroughness of the study.
If you read the COGP, a number of your
questions may be answered on why things look the way they are in
federal contracting.
In addition to the COGP, the Government
Accountability Office--then the General Accounting Office--issued
multiple reports checking on the implementation of the COGP's
recommendations. I list links to those reports also.
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