CIA overhauls acquisition to get new tech faster

The Central Intelligence Agency is overhauling its acquisition process to get new tech faster, officials said Monday. 

A new framework introduces a vendor-vetting system, streamlines IT authorization, and "provides clear pathways for CIA to leverage its unique authorities to acquire essential capabilities, rapidly onboard breakthrough technology prototypes, and modernize its core systems to meet urgent mission needs,” according to a Feb. 9 statement.

The effort is led by Efstathia Fragogiannis, an alum of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency who joined the agency as its procurement chief in November, according to a CIA official who spoke with Nextgov/FCW ahead of release.

The official said the framework is a response to the government’s slower procurement timelines, which can create obstacles for innovative companies and slow the agency’s access to new technology, the CIA official said.

In recent months, the CIA has underscored its key role in U.S. national security, from rolling out Mandarin-language recruitment videos that encourage Chinese officials to secretly share information with U.S. intelligence to carrying out covert operations in Venezuela.

During his January 2025 confirmation hearing, CIA Director John Ratcliffe stressed the need for the spy agency to accelerate and modernize how it procures technology. For years, the CIA has leaned on the private sector to aid in its secret missions, relying on contractors, commercial data and private-sector technology to fill gaps in intelligence collection and operational reach as national security challenges have grown more complex.

“We’re optimizing our approach to working with the private sector,” Ratcliffe said in a statement. “CIA’s rapidly evolving mission demands a radical shift towards a culture of speed, agility and innovation. By leveraging the best technological solutions available today, the CIA will be better equipped to meet the intelligence challenges of tomorrow.” 

The CIA has long been deemed a human intelligence agency at heart, but its ability to recruit sources and assess findings has become increasingly tied to technology. In 1999, it launched In-Q-Tel, a nonprofit investment arm designed to spot and fund startups building cutting-edge tools for U.S. intelligence and defense agencies.

It has notably spent the last 15 years or so aggressively shifting its technical backbone to a multi-billion-dollar commercial market of cloud and AI services. In 2019, CIA began the buildout of its vast Commercial Cloud Enterprise designed for data storage, computing and analytics. And about a decade ago, it launched its Directorate for Digital Innovation to augment its tech and cyber capabilities.

“CIA is open for business. We’re entering a range of commercial partnerships, from startups to industry leaders, in areas like AI, biotech, FinTech and microelectronics,” agency deputy director Michael Ellis said in remarks provided to Nextgov/FCW. “If you’re a company pushing the boundaries of emerging technologies, we want to partner with you to help CIA stay ahead of foreign adversaries by getting game-changing capabilities into the hands of our officers faster.”