From the Department of State Evolve contract to the inner workings of acquisition, join Alexa as she sits down with Katherine Vultaggio, the Deputy Director of Acquisition Services at the U.S. Department of Commerce. Uncover the secrets, challenges, and triumphs of navigating the acquisition landscape as Katherine shares her expertise. From government contracts to finding your tribe, join us as we unearth more #govcom unfiltered insights.
00:00 Intro
2:55 Meet Katherine
5:20 Facilitating conversations between Government, the contracting community and the contract
7:44 Starting industry conversations
10:34 Learning about Evolve
13:25 Go No-Go Factors
16:45 Balancing internal politics while focusing on the mission
19:22 Update on CATTS
24:47 With CATTS can you team post award?
27:00 Going from state to commerce
31:00 At what point in the acquisition process do you go in a Black Box?
32:35 Talking Q&A
34:41 What is the thought behind extensions
37:25 Advice from Katherine
Katherine Vultaggio, CFCM – Deputy Director of U.S. Department of Commerce Enterprise Services – Acquisition
Katherine, a California native-turned-proud Marylander began her professional career serving in the U.S. Marine Corps alongside her high school sweetheart and husband of 27 years. Katherine has left her mark on multiple Government agencies over the past two decades including the Army Corps of Engineers, the Department of the Interior, the Department of State, and the Department of Commerce. Katherine is a dedicated public servant and champion of small businesses and industry engagement. Katherine enjoys fostering innovative procurement solutions that optimize efficiency and actually work. Her goal in every role is to make herself obsolete; developing tomorrow’s acquisition leaders and leaving behind an organization that functions efficiently without her. Katherine also enthusiastically serves as a board member for the new MetroMD chapter of the National Contract Management Association (NCMA).
The Department of Commerce’s mission is to create the conditions for economic growth and opportunity for all communities. Through its 13 bureaus, the Department works to drive U.S. economic competitiveness, strengthen domestic industry, and spur the growth of quality jobs in all communities across the country. The Department fosters the innovation and invention that underpin the U.S. comparative advantage. Its scientists research emerging technologies such as quantum computing and artificial intelligence (AI). Enterprise Services – Acquisition (ES-A) provides streamlined purchasing for the entire Department using its dynamic and diverse Strategic Sourcing Portfolio. ES-A provides full life-cycle acquisition support to the Office of the Secretary and headquarters bureaus in addition to shared services acquisition support for all of Commerce. Our Strategic Sourcing Portfolio alone has resulted in hundreds of millions of dollars in cost avoidance.
