Ep 138: Procurement Out of This World feat. Kris Lance

The U.S. military is accustomed to taking 7 years and a cost plus method to build billion dollar satellites with te help of their supply base. With instability around the world starting to ratchet up concerns about space, the Space Development Authority (SDA) is responding by disrupting traditional procurement practices. 

As SDA Director Derek Tournear recently said, “Change is hard; change is necessary. And nothing fights change like the paralyzing behavior of going along to get along.” 

In this episode of The Sourcing Hero podcast, Host Kelly Barner welcomes back Kris Lance, Senior Director at Una, for a recurring monthly conversation about current news stories. Kris has experience in multiple industries and has his finger on the pulse of the trends and topics that procurement, sourcing, and supply chain professionals need to be aware of.

In this conversation, Kris and Kelly talk about how the Space Development Agency, part of the U.S. Space Force, is shaking up procurement processes and approaches: 

• Finding ways to speed up the procurement process so the U.S. can stay competitive with China in satellite manufacture
• Breaking free from the ‘going along to get along’ mentality in order to deliver vastly different results
• Putting pressure on suppliers to go beyond traditional demonstrations of capabilities and competitive advantages