Commercial Solutions Opening: An Innovative, Competitive Process to Solve Slow Government Procurement

The primary purpose of this research is to identify the strengths, weaknesses, and best practices of the Commercial Solutions Opening (CSO) as a solicitation technique leading to a contract award. With their findings, the research team intends to provide DoD Components, Defense Agencies, 4th Estate organizations, and their associated workforces with a consolidated report analyzing available data on the CSO solicitation technique and making recommendations based on the use of CSOs. Working with these DoD-affiliated organizations, the researchers captured extensive direct feedback from CSO Cross Talk meetings among DoD points of contact who previously conducted CSOs or are working to develop CSO policies/procedures at their individual organizations. The DoD and other agencies outside of the department will also be able to use this research to capitalize on the utility of CSOs in requesting their own permanent authority. Further, the research provides an analysis to shape informed decision-making for future solicitation strategies as future requirements owners and contracting offices develop their plans to meet agency needs. Finally, this research can be used as a catalyst to refine CSO reporting requirements, bolstering the data value stream for the department’s executive decision-makers.