"The way government agencies source and procure technology is deeply rooted in the historical practices and challenges of government itself," said William Kumagai, managing vice president for Gartner Consulting. "The net result is that large IT procurements often take more than a year to complete, an alarming number are curtailed by protests from the vendor community and most fall short of meeting ever-increasing customer expectations."
According to Gartner, government agencies need to optimise the way they acquire solutions from, and partner with, the private sector. Steps include developing a sourcing strategy, evaluating procurement resources and processes, and including key measurement criteria in the contract terms and conditions.