Center for Government Contracting News

Federal procurement policy should therefore focus less on eliminating intermediaries and more on catalyzing added value from Resellers and ensuring that intermediary compensation reflects demonstrable value creation.

Richard A. Beutel, senior fellow of the center, examines the growing shift from traditional hardware procurement and perpetual software licensing toward cloud computing, subscription-based services, DevSecOps delivery models, and integrated digital capabilities. As federal agencies increasingly acquire technology as an ongoing service rather than as stand-alone products, the study asks a fundamental question: What constitutes “value added” in today’s federal technology marketplace?

A panel discussion moderated by Senior Fellow Stephanie Halcrow focused on the Baroni Center Report on the relative advantages of velocity, speed, and agility in development, procurement, and deployment systems to include evaluating the use of flexible procurement authorities, streamlining traditional requirements and review processes, and tying contractor incentives and performance metrics to on-time delivery and production capacity.

Researchers conclude faster contracting lead times reduce costs, accelerate development and production timelines, and advance critical technologies for the U.S. Military

What happens when the government lets AI decide—and industry pushes back? The Baroni Center is tackling a question that isn’t if—but when.

Federal acquisition leaders are under growing pressure to move faster. Agencies are being asked to modernize procurement operations, reduce procurement administrative lead time, and process increasingly complex acquisitions with a workforce that is often stretched thin. At the same time, proposal volumes continue to increase, technical submissions are becoming more sophisticated, and evaluators are expected to absorb massive amounts of information under compressed timelines. Against that backdrop, it is not surprising that agencies are beginning to explore how Artificial Intelligence (AI) could assist the source selection process.

Weapon system operational readiness has been on a steady decline over the last two decades. This decline in readiness rates has been highlighted by the General Accountability Office, the DOW Inspector General, and DOW officials at various levels. Many of the issues affecting readiness are systemic. They are also fixable.

So much to share. The excitement continues. Whether it's new to you or you just want another chance to look back over the past three months, here's the Update for you.

Overall, industry and government need to be educated on the flexibilities of OTAs and how they can operate if used correctly. Education should not be singularly directed to industry or government but to all on an acquisition team, which includes both buyers and sellers.

For decades, federal acquisition policy has been clear that fixed-price contracts are generally preferred when requirements are well-defined, consistent with long-standing guidance in FAR Part 16. That principle has remained largely stable across administrations and acquisition reform efforts. The Executive Order on Promoting Efficiency, Accountability, and Performance in Federal Contracting, published April 30, 2026, does not change that principle but, instead, drives how consistently it is applied across the enterprise. By increasing approval requirements and justification expectations for non-fixed-price contracts and directing agencies to reassess existing portfolios, the Executive Order signals a shift toward more deliberate and structured use of contract types. The practical implication is a move toward closer alignment between policy intent and acquisition behavior.