This briefing covers active market intelligence, regulatory guidelines, and tactical capture recommendations for federal and defense contractors pursuing opportunities in this procurement classification.
Government procurement can bolster the strength of local small businesses (SMBs), and provide an example for technology adoption in areas such as eInvoicing and electronic payments. Increasingly, though, experts are identifying government procurement as an instrumental component of promoting cybersecurity for the public and private sectors alike.
The latest report from The Kosciuszko Institute introduced a set of government procurement cybersecurity recommendations, the result of conversations and debate held at the recent European Cybersecurity Forum — CYBERSEC event. In its roundup of key takeaways, The Kosciuszko Institute’s number-one conclusion was that “cybersecurity can and must be strengthened through public procurements.”
With government procurement a process that merges both government and corporate data, public sector supply chains are facing heightened cybersecurity threats. In addition to urging government action to enhance cybersecurity (including the recommendation that the European Union (EU) public procurement directive should include a chapter on how to secure and safeguard public procurements), the report urges governments to introduce cybersecurity requirements in their IT procurement practices.
“It is strongly recommended that public sector and public procurement bodies talk more to their IT security agencies, and implement cybersecurity strategies through public procurements,” the report stated.
In an earlier report, law firm and lobbyist Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP examined some of the initiatives that the U.S. government is already taking on the cybersecurity front.
The Department of Defense (DoD) is among several government agencies that have introduced measures to heighten scrutiny of their suppliers’ supply chain security measures. Signifying just how imperative cybersecurity is to DoD procurement, the agency introduced security as the fourth “acquisition pillar,” the other three being cost, schedule and performance.
Read more: How Government Procurement Can Foster Private Sector Cybersecurity
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