Stan is a much sought after media resource and speaker on a range of issues associated with government contracting; market trends and challenges; and the overall intersection of the public and private sectors.
Recent and Upcoming Speaking Engagements
- Merage Leadership Institute, Los Angeles, CA (1/18)
- NCMA Northern Virginia Chapter (12/17)
- Thales/USA Business Strategy Meeting (11/17)
- Partnership for Public Service Leadership Program (10/17)
- Brookings Institute Executive Leadership Program (10/17)
- National Contract Management Association, DC Chapter, Washington, DC (10/17)
- Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce, Tysons Corner, VA (10/17)
- CXO Luncheon
Media Interviews
News Channel 8: Government Matters
Use of “Other Transaction Authority” in DoD acquisition shop
February 26, 2018
Stan Soloway’s interview starts at 00:00
News Channel 8: Government Matters
NDAA could create ‘Amazon for the DoD’
September 28, 2017
Stan Soloway’s interview starts at 00:00
News Channel 8: Government Matters
An innovation program that targets middle-aged bureaucrats
July 27, 2017
Stan Soloway’s interview starts at 15:45
News Channel 8: Government Matters
DoD nears deadline to submit reorganization plan
May 11, 2017
Stan Soloway’s interview starts at 00:00
News Channel 8: Government Matters
Mattis starts the process of DoD business transformation
March 9, 2017
Stan Soloway’s interview starts at 00:00
Federal News Radio
Congressional budget battle brewing with Trump administration
January 9, 2017
Stan Soloway’s interview starts at 01:12
As a Writer
Stan has written nearly 150 columns for Washington Technology, the Washington Business Journal and Government Executive magazine and continues to publish on a regular basis.
Inside DoD, the customer is speaking loudly
Defense News
It is axiomatic that customer satisfaction is the coin of the realm. And in government, it has been the primary driver of significant citizen engagement...
The Clock Is Ticking on Trump’s Management Agenda
Government Executive
We are now almost a year into the new administration, so it’s not really “new” anymore. Indeed, 11 months is a major chunk of time for any...
Transformation two-step: Challenges for government and industry
Washington Technology
There seems to be little debate about the need to aggressively transform government so that it can take advantage of the vast array of new capabilities...
Breaking the Stranglehold of Calcified Federal Acquisition Policies
Government Executive
Mac Thornberry, Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, thinks government ought to be able to take advantage of the robust world of online...
The Trump Administration’s Innovation Problem
Government Executive
Just before Labor Day, the American Technology Council—the White House task force charged with propelling government IT to a new level—issued a broad set of initial...
Senate attempt to reduce protests misses the point
Washington Technology
When it comes to federal procurement, the frequency and expectation of protests has had a palpable, costly, and sometimes deleterious effect on the process...
Why Innovation Programs Should Target Middle-Aged Bureaucrats
Government Executive
Imagine the benefits of these things: An earlier test for autism that could improve the ability to treat it. A new procedure to treat atrial fibrillation that holds hope for reducing ...
Congress is Sending Mixed Messages on Defense Procurement
Government Executive
Think Bold. That’s the slogan of the so-called "Section 809 Panel," a special commission created by Congress to review the full spate of federal (and defense-unique) acquisition...
Tight budgets bring a silverlining
Washington Technology
For years, the question of when the government might return to “regular order” –that is, a “normal” process in which appropriations are essentially completed...
Trump’s Separate Pursuit of Two Government Reform Plans Will Hurt Both
Government Executive
The Trump administration has launched two important initiatives to reform—even transform—government. The President’s son-in-law and senior advisor...
Want to reform government? Start with the basics.
Washington Technology
The email was most unexpected. In the midst of what had been a series of substantive discussions with a Defense Department command about the...
Memo to OMB: Speed Kills
Government Executive
As was largely expected, the first budget proposal from the Trump Administration calls for major cuts across the civilian agencies and a substantial increase in defense spending.
Will Mattis usher in a new era of DOD reform?
Washington Technology
Defense Secretary Jim Mattis has instructed his deputy secretary, Bob Work, to commence a thorough evaluation of the department’s core business processes.
Agencies Could See Deeper, Faster Cuts Than Previously Contemplated
Government Executive
Most years, even in a Presidential transition, federal agencies have a pretty decent sense of where their budgets are headed. And in transition years, they are typically in...
Is it time to flip the table on procurement?
Washington Technology
In case you haven’t been paying attention, there is a new president being inaugurated this week and among his core positions is regulatory reform. While we don’t yet...
It’s Time to Bury A-76—It Worked Once, But Its Day Is Past
Government Executive
Last month, Government Executive’s Charlie Clark posited the question of whether, in a Trump Administration, public-private competitions under the policy and methodology...
Highs and lows of Trump’s leading tech indicators
Washington Technology
As the incoming Trump Administration begins to take shape, so too do some core components of what is likely to soon become the new administration’s management...
This Is No Way to Run a Government
Government Executive
As one of its final acts, the 114th Congress will wrap up with yet another continuing resolution. No one is surprised or particularly concerned; the only real debate...
How bumpy is the road ahead?
Washington Technology
Among the many issues the new administration will come face-to-face with on Day One is that of the federal budget. It is almost certain that the lame...
When Civic Degradation Tops Civic Engagement
Government Executive
According to every poll, we are a nation divided. Certainly the tenor and tone of the current election cycle has done nothing but amplify those...
Beware the tyranny of one-size fits all
Washington Technology
Every time a new policy proposal, strategy or idea comes down the pike, no matter how appealing, we have to remind ourselves that few ideas are...
We Talk Tech, But We Really Need to Talk People
Government Executive
September—the month that brings us both Labor Day and the Service to America Medals honoring outstanding public servants—is a good time to talk about...
The Not So Fair “Fair Pay” Rule
Washington Technology
“At last, the government has devised a means to better protect American workers and ensure that companies obey the law.” So writes the Editorial Board of the...
The challenge of past and future performance
Washington Technology
A new inspector general report has taken the Army to task for its poor, well, performance on past performance reporting. The IG looked at past performance...
The Bipartisan Forces that Could Stifle Government Innovation
Government Executive
In his excellent book, Delivering on Digital (Rosetta Books, 2016), William Eggers presents a compelling case for the many ways in which the government’s ability...
This Is No Way to Fix Defense Acquisition
Government Executive
As recently reported by Charlie Clark and others, the administration is threatening to veto the Senate Armed Services Committee’s version of the 2017 defense authorization bill.
Doth thou protest too much?
Washington Technology
Has the use of protests on federal procurements become so egregious that it’s time for some serious action? The Senate Armed Services Committee seems to think so. The committee is proposing...
Too soon to say good-bye to LPTA?
Washington Technology
Few issues have so galvanized the private sector in recent years as the government’s overuse of what is known as “lowest price/technically acceptable” acquisition strategies, or LPTA.
The Pentagon Is Dodging the Real Issue on Innovation
Government Executive
The Defense Department is asking Congress for special authority to buy products and services from “innovative” businesses that have done little or no business with…
Pricing roulette: Challenges vary agency to agency
Washington Technology
Earlier this month, a group of colleagues and I had the pleasure of participating in the Partnership for Public Service’s annual “Shark Tank” exercise for their acquisition leadership program…
The Brewing Government Funding Storm That Wasn’t Supposed to Happen
Government Executive
Think the impacts of this year’s presidential election won’t be felt until 2017 (excluding the Trans Pacific Partnership and Merrick Garland Supreme Court…
OMB IT Guidance: It’s not too late
Washington Technology
Some may dismiss it as irrelevant. Some may say that it is too little too late. But in truth, while it would have been great to see it sooner, it is far from too late for the Office of Management and Budget’s new IT policy to have an impact.
Americans Should Demand a Serious Budget Debate
Government Executive
Any hope of driving real efficiency in federal agencies hinges in large part on the ability of our elected leaders to come to some consensus on the nation’s fiscal course. If there was any question that the budget President Obama submitted to…
Of Politics and Procurement
Government Executive
How best to say this? “Here we go again?” Once more, a group of well-intentioned members of Congress are pushing the president to issue a directive that would mandate that contractors disclose all of their political contributions upon being awarded a government contract. Transparency, we are told, is essential to…