Action: Simplify the procurement process by rewriting federal regulations--shifting from rigid rules to guiding principles.32 The Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), the government's principal set of procurement regulations, contains too many rules. Rules are changed too often and are so process-oriented that they minimize discretion and stifle innovation, according to a Merit Systems Protection Board survey.33 As one frustrated manager noted, the FAR does not even clearly state the main goal of procurement policy: "Is it to avoid waste, fraud, and abuse? Is it to implement a social-economic agenda? Is it to procure the government's requirements at a fair and reasonable cost?" This administration will rewrite the 1,600-page FAR, the 2,900 pages of agency supplements that accompany it, and Executive Order 12352, which governs federal procurement. The new regulations will: shift from rigid rules to guiding principles; promote decision making at the lowest possible level; end unnecessary regulatory requirements; foster competitiveness and commercial practices; shift to a new emphasis on choosing "best value" products; facilitate innovative contracting approaches; and recommend acquisition methods that reflect information technology's short life cycle. develop a more effective process to listen to its customers: line managers, government procurement officers and vendors who do business with the government.