Frank Kendall, undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics, expects the third iteration of the government’s Better Buying Power initiative to focus more on innovation than previous iterations, DoD News reported Friday.
Amaani Lyle writes the DoD intends to release Better Buying Power 3.0 in October with the goal of achieving “dominant capabilities through technical excellence and innovation.”
Kendall told defense industry leaders at a conference that DoD plans to push through long-term research and product development programs despite a possible return of sequestration cuts in fiscal year 2016.
“We have to focus more on innovation, and we have to get better capability in the hands of the warfighter,” he said.
“We need a variety of contract types, business skills, incentive structures and different ways of doing business to be mutually beneficial to government and industry,†Kendall added.
DoD plans to seek input from industry, think tanks and Capitol Hill for the Better Buying Power 3.0 initiative, according to Kendall.
The department also wants to tap into small-business innovative research programs to introduce new technologies to the military, Lyle reports.
Kendall said his department will also emphasize internal collaboration, as well as science, technology, engineering and math education, according to the report.
