The Obama administration is adamant that government needs to be transparent in its operation and accountable for its actions. Implicit in this policy mandate is a commitment to quality and service delivery oversight. At ThinkQ we’re dedicated to helping the government get what it pays for. We believe that quality needs to start at the time that the service provider’s contract is written.

We frequently find that quality documentation is not given the priority it requires. Planning for quality means defining performance standards in detail and specifying how (and how often) performance will be checked. When quality is clearly defined in the contract, it’s easier to assess if the work is being performed correctly.

Both sides benefit from greater emphasis on quality in the contract: the government gets a defined set of goals that can be monitored and rewarded. The contractor benefits from the ability to substantiate performance that meets or exceeds requirements – potentially earning consideration for future contracts.

Even where there is a commitment to quality, one potential missing link is the ability to track compliance. ThinkQ’s proprietary service delivery compliance software, QMSIT, allows government agencies and private sector providers to schedule, track, monitor and report on every aspect of service delivery and tie each step back to requirements compliance. To learn more, click here for the QMSIT website.

For more information about Quality in Government, the American Society for Quality (ASQ) recommends several excellent websites at http://www.asq.org/links/government_quality.html.