Agile, user-centered digital delivery strategies do not always align with longstanding procurement policies and processes in government, often causing IT contracts to go awry. Overhauling these policies and processes can be a key component of high-quality digital transformation, with digital government practitioners increasingly working on procurement as part of advancing their work. 

In 2023, the Syracuse Office of Analytics, Performance, and Innovation (API), in partnership with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), concluded year one of a multi-year procurement transformation initiative. The initiative includes technical assistance from the Harvard Kennedy School Government Performance Lab (GPL), and is structured around four pillars: 

1. Improve procurement planning, 
2. Streamline and digitize procurement systems,
3. Build capacity for results-driven contracting, and
4. Improve contracting equity.

To learn more about Syracuse’s approach to procurement transformation, the Digital Service Network (DSN) spoke with API Director Nicolas Diaz Amigo, GPL Fellow Mia Capone, and OMB Director Timothy Rudd.