DOD Secretary Ashton Carter paid a visit to California recently to try and highlight the need for the government to make better use of technology to solve a host of operational and management woes.  Since then, we’ve heard “innovative that” and “developmental this”.  Unless someone re-wires the heads of those that both buy and manage IT, though, don’t look for federal IT to look a thing like innovations in the private sector.  First, there’s every incentive for federal managers to be risk-adverse.  One such person nailed it earlier this week when he said that, because there’s no room for failure if you’re a fed, there’s every reason to keep legacy systems going as long as possible.  Second, the government just doesn’t buy things.  It uses the procurement system to address a host of socio-economic issues ranging from small business use to ensuring blind people have jobs.  A buying system focused on something other than outcomes will never be able to give you the IT, or any other, results you can get commercially.  It’s especially important for contractors not to get caught up in the innovation siren song.  While political appointees may do end-arounds to get what they need here and there, ultimately existing rules have to be followed or someone gets in big trouble.  Remember, too, that today’s appointees have essentially two years left before they can go back to the private sector.  You have no such luxury.  If you break the rules, you won’t have an Administration appointee backing you up and, presumably, you want to be in the federal market for some time to come.  If you’re going to offer innovative solutions be realistic about the budgets, rules and processes that define the federal IT market – whether or not someone on the inside who’s drunk the “innovation Kool Aid” understands.