Remembering Government Procurement Pioneer Bob Welch

His name may not be a household one, but in the government procurement space, he’s known as the “procurement innovator.” Bob Welch passed away on March 31, reports announced on Monday (April 4), after four months on a ventilator.

Welch paved the way for advancements in corporate acquisition and procurement, according to reports, having launched the Procurement Measurement Action Team, an initiative that implemented the Balanced Scorecard method in federal procurement.

The Balanced Scorecard aids government entities and businesses in aligning goals with strategy and performance.

Welsh also introduced the concept of using a credit card for federal procurement.

Most recently, he was an executive with ASI Government.

“Bob was an innovator who loved to push acquisition and procurement processionals to find new and better ways to buy and to achieve greater mission value from contracts,” said former ASI President and CEO Anne Reed, who pointed to the COMMITS contract used by the Commerce Department as one of Welch’s more well-known contributions.

COMMITS, or the Commerce Information Technology Solutions Program, was an effort to promote the collaboration of SMEs, as well as disadvantaged and women-owned businesses, to work with government contractors.

Welch worked as a government employee for three decades before his retirement in 2000.

“Bob’s boldness and creativity brought him to join ASI’s fearless founders all those years ago,” said Dr. Timothy Cooke, ASI president and CEO. “Together, they helped shape a generation of acquisition visionaries, and their legacy is our future. Bob will be missed terribly.”