Ellen Lord, defense undersecretary for acquisition and sustainment and three-time Wash100 Award recipient, said the Department of Defense intends to simplify procurement of subsystems through rapid prototyping and fielding, USNI News reported Tuesday.
Lord told the publication that the goal is to accelerate major defense acquisition programs by streamlining mid-tier acquisition for certain components. The department’s mid-tier acquisition programs have expanded to more than 50 since November 2018, she added.
“We’re scheduled to publish formal policy in December, and I’m happy that we’re seeing positive results for our warfighters, taking an average of over two years out of each of the programs,†said Lord.
Her comments came two months after the Pentagon announced its intent to develop the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification standards for businesses seeking opportunities with the government. Lord said she expects the CMMC framework to be available in January 2020 ahead of full inclusion in requests for proposals by fall.
