PEO EIS helps set the stage for Agile Army contracting

Photo By Tara Clements | Danielle Moyer, executive director of ACC-APG, joins PEO EIS Program Executive Officer Ross Guckert, DPEO Bill Hepworth and other leaders at the December 2023 PEO EIS Offsite  

UNITED STATES

12.20.2023

Story by Erika Christ 

U.S. Army Program Executive Office Enterprise Information Systems

One of the key pillars for implementing Agile and DevSecOps is the creation of a framework for Agile contracting, as Program Executive Officer Ross Guckert first identified last fall, and touched on during the Nov. 15, 2023, AFCEA Belvoir luncheon.

EIS has been working closely with Army Contracting Command – Aberdeen Proving Ground (ACC-APG) to establish its Digital Contracting Center of Excellence, which will eventually serve as the model for Agile Army contracting for digital and software procurements — sharing playbooks on best contracting practices and helping mentor other contracting centers. Until the center of excellence is fully operational in September 2024, ACC-APG will be determining how best to write future Army contract language and expedite the procurement process.

To incentivize industry partners to deliver quality products at speed and with good value for taxpayer dollars, ACC-APG plans to update contract language and terms.

“Current contracts may say something like, “If you deliver this document, we’ll pay you for that,” said Aric Sherwood, director of EIS’ Acquisition Innovation Directorate. “We don’t want paper deliverables. We want contracts for working software that provides value to Soldiers.”

Among other options, ACC-APG is considering whether to use firm fixed-price contracts for development capacity or cost type contracts in which contractors get paid after each delivery of a capability increment or software feature, said Sherwood.

EIS and the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology are trying to reduce the overall procurement acquisition lead time from the Army Contracting Command’s receipt of the initial requirement to their award of the contract. Right now, that period is typically around 180 to 270 days, but the Army acquisition community is trying to “shrink that down by applying Agile methodology to the contracting process,” said Sherwood.

Up until recently, EIS has worked with several contracting commands on procurements; however, in coming months, the acquisition organization will use ACC-APG a lot more, said Sherwood.

“Our intent is for all software development programs and technical service contracts to be under the purview of the ACC-APG Senior Contracting Official,” he said.

Initially, new contracts for EIS’ Integrated Personnel and Pay System – Army (IPPS-A) Future Capabilities Office and Army Data Platform are anticipated to transition to ACC-APG, though the Army Contracting Command is still evaluating the workload shift, according to Scott Tyler, deputy product manager for Army Data Platform.

Ultimately, when the process is hammered out, and the ACC-APG Digital Center of Excellence begins its work, Guckert believes everyone stands to benefit, including Soldiers, the Army contracting community, technical integration partners and EIS.

“I think Agile contracting is a win-win for everybody,” said Guckert.

• Date Taken: 12.20.2023
• Date Posted: 12.22.2023 11:18
• Story ID: 460665
• Location: US