Turning acquisition speed into decision advantage

The pace of defense contracting has long been a hurdle to fast and efficient adoption of new technologies — one that the current administration aims to clear. In November 2025, the Department of War (DOW) issued its Acquisition Transformation Strategy with a core goal to “field technology and modernize systems at a rate that outpaces our adversaries.”

For defense agencies, automation can be a force multiplier when it comes to buying technology by compressing onboarding, accelerating deployment and enabling continuous performance visibility. Velocity only matters, however, if it translates to decision dominance.

When defense agencies team up with capable industry partners to leverage new acquisition pathways, “that will accelerate the delivery of solutions to the warfighter,” said Joe Kehoe, managing director of DOW technology services at Maximus.

“Threat actors and adversaries are determined and capable — and using technology to operate at unprecedented levels of speed. Keeping pace and getting new tools into the hands of warfighters is critical to maintaining a competitive advantage against those adversarial threats,” Kehoe said.

Often the biggest bottleneck is not technology, but the speed at which the acquisition life cycle moves. Partnering with industry is an essential element of the Acquisition Transformation Strategy, which states that the DOW “relies on the innovation and production capacity of industry to provide high-performance systems to the warfighter [but] … does not currently utilize the full potential of the industrial base to produce and deliver innovation.”

Offered as a solution: “Prioritize the purchase of capabilities that meet the needs of our men and women in uniform faster, even if they initially do not address a hundred percent of the requirements.” In other words, do not let perfect be the enemy of good when speed is critical to getting capabilities into the hands of the warfighter.

Acquisition reform and investing in mission ready solutions

Both Government and industry have long called for acquisition reform; recent policy development, including Secretary of War Pete Hegseth’s memorandum, signal increased momentum toward execution.  Among senior leaders, a consistent theme has emerged: requirements must be consolidated, operational demand is immediate, and mission partners need solutions now.

As a result, Other Transaction Authorities (OTAs) and Commercial Solutions Openings (CSOs) are increasingly leveraged as primary acquisition mechanisms, a shift that raises industry expectations — invest earlier and bring mature, mission-ready technologies forward for evaluation and rapid adoption. Rather than building bespoke solutions after contract award, industry leaders must be able to demonstrate proven capability upfront.

This represents a fundamental break from the traditional 18–24 month acquisition lifecycle. As the DOW moves from the traditional to an accelerated model focused on fielding mission-ready capability, it is fundamentally changing how it engages with industry from a labor-centric approach — where solutions are built over time on contract — to a technology-led approach, with skilled labor focused on rapid deployment, integration, and sustainment.

Introducing greater commerciality at the front end of the program is key to delivering capability to the warfighter at the speed of relevance and eliminating longstanding acquisition bottlenecks.

“At Maximus, everything starts with a deep understanding of our clients’ missions and the people they serve.,” Kehoe said. “This enables us to consistently deliver innovation that improves mission outcomes, not just compliance.”

Speed is a team effort

Many of the slowdowns to achieving an ATO for a new system, from initial scoping through authorization, are due to manual processes. Risk Management Framework (RMF) assessments, for example, remain highly manual, creating friction for system owners as they navigate the seven-step process alongside authorizing officials.

“This process could be accelerated through automation and AI,” Kehoe said. “For example, by bringing together Maximus cybersecurity subject matter experts and technologists, we developed an RMF AI Automation capability designed to operate within a DOW network to provide a structured system blueprint, an AI-enabled controls validation engine, and a centralized monitoring and governance platform that integrates with government systems.”

This approach, Kehoe noted, has the potential to compress the RMF and ATO timeline from 18 months to three to six months, without compromising rigor or security. The outcome is straightforward: authorized, mission-critical systems delivered to the warfighter faster, with reduced risk and increased confidence.

Ensuring success requires the DOW and industry to operate as a single, unified team that work closely together throughout program execution. Speed for the mission requires consistent communication and a shared commitment to providing full visibility into program performance, teams, technologies, and outcomes.

“At Maximus, that visibility is established from day one,” Kehoe said. “We implement program dashboards at the outset to provide real‑time transparency and ensure key stakeholders are engaged at the appropriate level, we align early on mission priorities and we report progress continuously — an approach that is foundational to sustaining trust, accountability and reliable delivery at speed.

When agencies are required to operate at mission tempo, visibility alone is not enough — adaptability is equally critical. DOW priorities can shift rapidly due to organizational changes or global events. Industry partners must be able to pivot quickly and respond to evolving mission requirements without slowing execution. That shared ability to adapt is how teams maintain momentum and deliver outcomes at speed.

“We have built strong relationships with leading cloud, cybersecurity and AI technology partners, providing reach-back capabilities that accelerate solution delivery for our clients,” Kehoe said. “These partnerships, combined with our mission‑focused operating model and outcomes-based contracting, enable us to scale quickly and sustain performance over time.”

Ultimately, sustaining speed at mission tempo depends on more than tools and processes — it requires an agile, highly skilled workforce that can execute as part of a fully integrated government‑industry team. Continuous learning, professional development and certifications ensure teams stay current as threats, technologies and priorities evolve. Those investments translate directly into faster execution, better decisions, and reliable delivery of mission outcomes when it matters most.

Government and industry moving forward together

AI and automation represent significant opportunities to transform DOW acquisition — but only when they are applied with purpose. Technology must be directly tied to mission outcomes, whether that means shortening a process, accelerating decision‑making, or rapidly fielding critical capability.

As agencies look to harness automation, success begins with a shared understanding of the mission. When government and industry work together to establish that clarity, they can translate technology investments into operational advantage and decision dominance on the battlefield.

Outcome‑based contracts reinforce that alignment by focusing all parties on what matters most: delivering measurable mission results at speed. That shared accountability is what turns acquisition reform into action and enables government and industry to move forward together in sustained support of the warfighter.

Learn more about how Maximus helps defense agencies tap into the power of AI and other emerging technologies.