PSC Rates Federal Agency Business Forecast Information  Annual report finds significant improvements resulting in part from PSC conversations with government officials and changes implemented since the 2020 PSC Scorecard

Arlington, Va. (July 13, 2021) The Professional Services Council (PSC) today released the 2021 edition of its Federal Business Forecast Scorecard. For the third year in a row, the annual Scorecard examines publicly available procurement forecasts, which federal agencies use to provide valuable information to potential offerors on projected needs. The 2021 version assessed the forecasts of 69 federal agencies* and recognized select agencies for various improvements made to their forecasts following last year’s evaluation.

Key highlights from the 2021 PSC Federal Business Forecast Scorecard:

• USAID received the first-ever perfect score. Its 2021 forecast includes a change log that documents each update and clearly indicates which components of the forecasted opportunity were changed so that industry partners receive accurate, up-to-date information.
• Defense Health Agency (DHA) earned an honorable mention, improving from a bottom rating of “Needs Improvement” to a rating of “Fair,” due in large part to DHA’s active engagement with PSC staff and member companies to improve forecast format and level of detail.
• Department of Homeland Security (DHS) also earned an honorable mention for their pace of improvements and leadership focus on their Acquisition Planning Forecast System (APFS) portal. 

*The 69 agencies in the 2021 edition represent only a sample; not every publicly available Business Forecast was reviewed. Several buying agencies do not have publicly available forecasts. 

“At the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) we can never fail in our mission of protecting the homeland.  Therefore, I am a strong advocate for early acquisition planning and frequent and meaningful communication with industry to provide the best innovative solutions possible and ensure timely delivery of mission-critical products and services to our frontline personnel,” said DHS Chief Procurement Officer Soraya Correa. “To achieve this goal, I have encouraged my APFS development team to collaborate with industry on enhancements that will help inform interested vendors of opportunities to do business with DHS. I am honored that PSC has recognized the effort we have put into improving APFS. I would also like to invite industry to continue providing us with feedback so that we can continue to make improvements.”  

PSC scored agencies against 15 key attributes that are necessary for an effective forecast. Among the most important of those attributes are identified action/award type, anticipated solicitation date, and set-aside status. Effective forecasts offer clear project and award descriptions, with clear dollar estimates and ample information for potential offerors to make informed decisions about proposal investments and costs. 

“PSC engaged with several federal agencies to discuss how agency business forecasts can be improved. We are pleased to see substantial improvement across the various agencies, including the Department of Labor and NASA,” said Stephanie Kostro, PSC’s Executive Vice President for Policy. “That said, PSC member companies also noted incomplete, inconsistent, or out-of-date information in many government forecasts. Effective, informative agency forecasts are critical to successful procurement—for both the U.S. Government customer and for industry partners—especially since forecasts are often the first step in programmatic activity.”

“We encourage all agencies to refine information made available to industry so that contractors can adequately plan for the personnel and other resources needed to compete successfully for contracts. Well-articulated, sufficiently detailed forecasts lead to better proposals, improved competition, and shorter award decision timelines,” Kostro continued. “We look forward to working with our members, the various agencies, and Congress, to continue to improve the government’s vital business outreach efforts.” 

To view the full Scorecard report, including a breakdown of the rankings, visit http://www.pscouncil.org/scorecard. 
 
To view a PDF of this release, click here. 

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