- DOW has issued the TINA Lite guide preview
- The guide details acquisition planning and approval steps
- The Potomac Officers Club will host two DOW summits this summer
The Department of War has released the first version of its TINA Lite Policy and Implementation Guide to help contracting officers apply the authority designed to tailor certified cost or pricing data requirements for eligible acquisitions.
The guide comes as acquisition and technology leaders continue to examine approaches for improving defense procurement processes. The Potomac Officers Club will host two DOW summits this summer. Register now for the 2026 Air and Space Summit on July 30 to join discussions on artificial intelligence and machine learning, commercial space relay, interoperable optical networks and network modernization. You can also save your seat today for the 2026 Navy Summit, scheduled for Aug. 27, to hear leaders examine autonomy, digital engineering and next-generation maritime capabilities.
The Office of the Under Secretary of War for Acquisition and Sustainment’s Defense Pricing, Contracting and Acquisition Policy office issued the preview version of the guide on Wednesday, July 8, providing acquisition personnel with guidance on planning, approving and executing acquisitions using TINA Lite.
What Does the TINA Lite Guide Include?
The DOW TINA Lite Policy & Implementation Guide provides contracting officers and acquisition personnel with guidance on applying the TINA Lite authority for eligible acquisitions. The preview version is intended to support advanced planning before regulatory implementation.
The guide provides resources covering several areas of TINA Lite implementation, including:
- Planning and approval processes for contracting officers considering TINA Lite
- Request for proposal structures and tailored data requirements
- Evaluation of historical actual cost data to support price reasonableness determinations
The guide was developed with input from a working group that included military departments, the Defense Contract Audit Agency and the Defense Contract Management Agency. It reflects lessons learned from the pilot program and provides a resource for planning, securing approval and executing acquisitions using TINA Lite.
What Is TINA Lite?
TINA Lite is a program that seeks to speed up contracting and pricing processes and is a targeted application of the Truthful Cost or Pricing Data authority. The program allows contracting officers to tailor the type and extent of certified cost or pricing data required for approved acquisitions by using historical actual cost data from prior relevant acquisitions.
The guide states that TINA Lite is not a waiver of existing requirements but a tailored approach to certified cost or pricing data submissions. It allows contracting officers to establish the structure, extent and level of detail for required data when a contractor has a meaningful history of delivering the same or similar products to the department.
TINA Lite, which was initially established as a pilot program under Section 890 of the fiscal year 2019 National Defense Authorization Act, applies to eligible contract actions exceeding $50 million. Section 812(c) of the FY 2026 NDAA established TINA Lite as a permanent authority for DOW to use in eligible acquisitions.
