Contracting Leaders and Industry Partners See Faster Acquisition Opportunities Coming Online

Photo By Joseph Danielewicz | Joseph Fountain, SES, Director of Contracting for the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, left, speaks on a panel during day one of the Life Cycle Industry Days (LCID) conference in Dayton, Ohio, July 27, 2026. This is LCID’s tenth year. The three-day event features a full slate of speakers, expert panels, vendor booths, and unique Acquisition and Small Business Alleys. AFLCMC’s Portfolio Acquisition Executives (PAEs) and other leaders engage in strategic business meetings throughout LCID. The Acquisition and Small Business Alleys allow the program offices the chance to showcase their latest technologies and successes and to talk directly with industry partners about challenges they need help solving. (U.S. Air Force photo by Joe Danielewicz)  

DAYTON, OHIO, UNITED STATES

07.27.2026

Story by Joseph Danielewicz 

Air Force Life Cycle Management Center

Dayton, Ohio (AFLCMC) — Contracting professionals are anticipating faster acquisition of warfighting equipment and support systems, part of a broader military-wide effort to field gear faster.

Speaking during a panel event at Life Cycle Industry Days (LCID), Joseph Fountain, SES, Director of Contracting for the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, highlighted several recent changes brought on by the service’s Acquisition Transformation Strategy (ATS) to reduce red tape for industry partners.

“[W]here you used to have a clearance at either the [Senior Contracting Official] level - my level - or at the Air Force level, we've now pushed that all down to the [Chief of the Contracting Office], which is the senior contracting person within the PAEs,” Fountain said.

He believes the move to push decision-making to Portfolio Acquisition Executives (PAEs) will “empower them to make decisions," stating that over 80% of contracting authority has been moved to the directorate level.

Speaking about  innovative contracting strategies, panelist Jim St. Jean, Vice President of Contracts at Lockheed Martin Aeronautics*, said that if the government tells industry what problems to solve - rather than a list of exacting requirements - solutions can be contracted faster. “ Having the government frame a requirement as a problem statement, go out to industry in the commercial space and say, ‘Bring me your ideas,’ … [can move] a problem statement, to a solution brief, to an oral presentation in a matter of weeks,” St. Jean explained.

Thomas Glaub, Boeing’s* Vice President of Government Enterprise Contracts and Estimating, followed up saying that faster contracting and product delivery will require every military branch and vendors to understand there may be some risk in the process, but should not shy away from it. “ It comes down to the two sides being willing to kind of lean forward on some of those things, you know, take that risk, and move forward.”

For their part, acquisition professionals say the service is trying to provide clearer demand signals for industry partners to match. Fountain noted that increased utilization for multi-year contracts when approved by Congress can help both military acquisition needs and industry. “ I think there's a lot of opportunity to really give that demand signal for a long-term, consistent production that allows our industry partners to make those commitments,“ he said.

Noting that many contracting changes took effect in early July, Fountain said he is anticipating positive results to follow. “It'll be interesting to see what kind of speed we can deliver by putting those authorities in the field.”

*Note: No federal endorsement implied.

• Date Taken: 07.27.2026
• Date Posted: 07.29.2026 11:20
• Story ID: 570992
• Location: DAYTON, OHIO, US