The Department of Defense’s Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment on Friday issued DOD Manual 5010.12, which updates its policy and processes for acquiring and managing contractor-prepared data across all defense components and throughout the contract lifecycle, from planning to post-award activities.
What Information Does Manual 5010.12 Offer?
Titled Acquisition and Management of Contractor-Prepared Data, the 102-page document applies broadly across all organizational entities within the DOD, including military departments and combatant commands. The scope covers both traditional Federal Acquisition Regulation, or FAR, and Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement, also known as DFARS, contracts, as well as non-FAR agreements.
The manual, which takes effect on Nov. 21, amends DOD 5010.12-M, or Procedures for the Acquisition and Management of Technical Data, issued in 1993.
Among the information provided in DOD Manual 5010.12 are the roles and responsibilities of defense officials. The program manager, for instance, is responsible for developing the program’s intellectual property strategy and modular open systems approach. The data manager, on the other hand, advises the program manager on data management best practices and verifies that data deliverables meet contractual requirements.
Additionally, the manual includes adaptable guidance on preparing the contract data requirements list, or CDRL, which details data requirements.
The manual follows a broader organization-wide restructuring that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, a 2025 Wash100 winner, announced in early November.
Hegseth explained that the overhaul prioritizes speed to capability delivery, which he said is “the decisive factor in maintaining deterrence and warfighting advantage.”
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