An InterActive Forum

While most conferences simply dump data on participants, perhaps generating a few ideas that quickly fade once attendees return to their daily lives, this conference is designed to stimulate action. It brings diverse experts in policy, information and communications technology (ICT), standardization, trade, and law to the discussion table in an environment that encourages frank interaction and cooperation. By doing this, it is intended to expand decision makers’ thinking processes about standardization issues and to present viable, practical solutions for stimulating and capitalizing on innovation. Attendance is limited to provide participants ample opportunities to exchange ideas with each other and conference speakers.

Conference Topics

There will be four conference sessions. These sessions will feature short presentations by each panelist followed by interactive discussions. Audience participation is strongly encouraged.

• Government Use of ICT Standards in Procurement Policies and Practices
• Strategic Use of  Standards-based Procurement Across Industries
• Driving Innovation and Linkage: Case Studies
• Flexible Unification: Recommendations to Governments for ICT Standards-based Procurement Policies and Strategies

Conference Schedule

Panel 1: Government Use of ICT Standards in Procurement Policies and Practices

Governments act as regulator, policy maker, verifier, and customer, and their decisions determine which standardization organizations can be referenced in procurements, how conformance is proven, and, of course, who wins their coveted contracts. In addition, these specifications have a “trickle down” effect as key government suppliers pass these procurement guidelines on to their suppliers, customers, and partners. As such, it is critical that not only government procurement policies but practices ensure that economic and social gains are maximized. As industry and government interact to define these elements, the role of standardization in facilitating agreements becomes more critical. Topics may include:

• What are standards?
• What is the current impact of government procurement polices, particularly within the EU?
• What roles should government play in procurement: regulator, policy maker, customer, public good advocate?
• Do flexible government policies and guidelines encourage innovation or lead to fragmentation that stagnates information sharing and service delivery?
• Can less formal standardization and open source options be used to meet government procurement guidelines, particularly in the EU?
• How can procurement guidelines that specify ICT standards facilitate the development, deployment, and use of eGovernment?

Panel 2: Strategic Use of  Standards-based Procurement Across Industries

Procurement has moved from being a bland operational activity to a driver of infrastructure innovation. The right procurement strategies can link order, supply, and fulfillment processes; maximize outsourcing benefits; and unify countries and regions to facilitate seamless information sharing and the deployment of government services. At the heart of ensuring strategic procurement is standardization. No longer is standardization confined to the internal enterprise or a single government. Instead, those that regulate, specify, and perform procurement activities are leveraging ICT standardization to simplify processes across organizations and ensure better results. Standardization can guide adherence to governmental regulations and help reduce customer and manufacturer risk. The challenge comes in sorting out the complex standardization system and determining which standards to specify. Topics may include:

• How can procurement move from operational to strategic?
• Which procurement policies and strategies provide sufficient unification to enable information exchange while facilitating localization?
• How do corporate and government procurement policies interplay and what is the "trickle down effect"?
• Who should lead procurement strategy development and implementation?
• What are the benefits and costs of maximizing procurement efficiencies across the value chain?

Panel 3: Driving Innovation and Linkage: Case Studies

A review of current business and economic literature, or an in depth look at policy and regulations, will reveal that innovative procurement practices are contributing to the social and economic growth of companies and countries. This is especially true when it comes to specifying purchasing policies and guidelines for information and communication technology (ICT) products and services. Recognizing the advantages that come from well-crafted procurement policies and strategies and understanding how to implement them successfully are daunting tasks. This panel taps the experts in these areas to share their experiences and advice on how to use ICT standardization to capitalize on procurement activities. Topics may include:

• How can an innovative supply chain create competitive advantage?
• Can customer value be increased through eProcurement capabilities?
• How do ICT procurement policies facilitate effective eGovernment deployment and use?
• How can international policies around procurement strengthen trade?
• How can ICT standardization be used to drive beneficial procurement at the corporate and governmental levels?

Panel 4: FlexibLe Unification: Recommendations to Governments for ICT Standards-based Procurement Policies and Strategies

Governments often ask for cohesive input from industry, the legal profession, academics, and standardizers. As governments build out their eProcurement and ICT infrastructures, it makes sense for them to turn to these experts for advice. Perhaps even more importantly are recommendations on policies that will enable these goals to be achieved successfully and be in alignment with emerging needs of citizens and businesses. In this session, panelists will provide concrete recommendations to governments for maximizing their procurement policies and eProcurement activities. The goal of enabling seamless interoperability of ICT infrastructures, services, and regulations while maintaining important localization and customization capabilities will be emphasized.