Let’s stipulate right up front that Allen Federal supports innovation in the federal market.  Whether it’s improving IT solutions or how the government actually buys services and products, innovative solutions that improve over the status quo are a good thing.  Recently, a group of federal leaders spoke out in favor of innovation as well.  So, no problem, right?  Unfortunately, innovation “talk” doesn’t always match innovation “walk” and government contractors must understand the difference if they’re going to be successful. 

There’s a huge disconnect between what senior leaders say they want and risks line level managers think they can actually take.  OFPP Administrator Anne Rung recently said that innovative thinking is essential to getting good solutions in a time of tight budgets.  She promoted risk taking.  At the same conference, however, FCC CIO David Bray said, “Fail fast and fail often may work for those not in public service… [But] any one of us starts failing too much, maybe after the second time we’re out of a job.”

This disconnect has led some to speculate that innovation is great – so long as it’s the type that’s been pre-approved by OMB.  Innovate on your own, however, and your agency’s leadership may not have your back if things go wrong.  To underscore this point, it is notable that one agency was recently cited as being very innovative for spending 15% of its IT budget on new solutions. That number wouldn’t exactly get pulses racing in the private sector.

Contractors can’t be blind to innovative thinking, but “business as usual” isn’t an unsafe approach, either.