Leveraging Commercial Acquisition Authorities in Defense

This technical report outlines the recent Executive Orders and Directives that mandate the Department of Defense (DoD) to utilize commercial acquisition authorities for all procurements. The objective is to enhance innovation by prioritizing commercial solutions and streamlining processes to deliver timely solutions to warfighters. The report discusses existing statutes, such as 10 U.S.C. §3453, which encourages the DoD to prefer commercial products and services over custom solutions. It details the Software Acquisition Pathway and other streamlined authorities aimed at facilitating the acquisition of commercial solutions. The report emphasizes the need for quality market research to identify viable commercial solutions and the importance of addressing barriers to entry for new entrants into the defense market. It also highlights the necessity for reforms in requirements and budgeting processes to allow flexibility in acquiring new technologies. Furthermore, it discusses the importance of cybersecurity, modeling and simulation environments, and the need for streamlined Commercial Determination processes to enable effective engagement with commercial innovators.