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Summary: Comments were presented on the practices of the Federal Government in automatic data processing (ADP) procurements. Some of the problems evident in Government ADP procurements are: (1) occasional failure of the contractor to perform; (2) the contractor does perform exactly in accordance with the contract, but the products or services do not do what was expected; (3) the contractor provides products or services that do exactly what was expected, but because of elapsed time the Government's needs have changed and new and different problems must be solved; (4) there is too long a lead time in bringing a solution to a problem; (5) agencies very often do not consider a number of alternatives in choosing what to do; (6) there is a tendancy to jump at the first desirable alternative that can be justified; and (7) agencies often jump at technological solutions with which they are familiar rather than looking at the basic functions required and seeing if easier solutions are possible. However, the largest ADP procurement problem existing in the Government today is a lack of planning. Planning should be as complete as possible so that procurements can go more smoothly. By planning well, considering alternatives, and preparing a good requirement analysis and feasibility study, major problems can be eliminated. Some of the essential elements that make the procurement process successful include: organizational involvement by managers and users; a clear-cut direction of the procurement which considers the agency's missions, ADP plans, goals of the procurement, and strategy for fulfilling the goals; a formally defined and communicated structure of the procurement; performance criteria which are specified in quanitative terms; and the issuance of reports which clearly define the status and problems of the procurement.
