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Gov t Urged To Favor Commercial Tech In Acquisitions
Law360 (May 26, 2021, 6:34 PM EDT) A coalition of technology firms and industry groups has urged the Biden administration to more frequently opt for commercial products when acquiring software and other technology, in part by better enforcing existing rules giving preference to commercial items.
Federal agencies don t always follow statutory requirements directing them to buy commercial items to the maximum extent practicable, and the White House Office of Management and Budget should issue clear guidance to make sure they do, the 47 groups and tech firms, led by the Alliance for Digital Innovation and Silicon Valley Defense Group, said in their letter Tuesday.
By Ross Wilkers
May 26, 2021
The past week has seen groups of commercial companies and government services contractors alike give U.S. leaders ideas of what businesses want to see happen with regard to technology in the federal environment and what an infrastructure package should include.
More specifically: how the government should think about buying technologies and from whom, and what cyber and IT funding if any should be part of an infrastructure package.
Here is what these businesses and groups have said to President Joe Biden and congressional leaders.
Reimagining software & tech acquisition
Dozens of technology companies and three alliances that represent businesses like them want the government to put more emphasis on going to the commercial world for buying IT products and solutions.
Private Capital Crucial for Defense Innovation DEFENSE DEPARTMENT
4/23/2021
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China and Russia’s technological investments and the uncertainty surrounding future applications have fundamentally altered the geopolitical environment.
This view, which has become a point of consensus in the United States, has also sparked another widely and correctly perceived imperative: the need for creating enduring public-private relationships between the Defense Department and defense-oriented companies.
If the nation is to address this burgeoning threat, the country must foster a culture of innovation and integration of various critical technologies into the military. Private investment and venture capital, which provide funding to companies making advancements within critical technology areas that are key to defense, play an integral part in this high-stakes competition for fielding innovative capabilities such as artificial intellige