The Biden-Harris administration has shown a clear dedication to investing in technology. IT modernization took a front seat in the American Recovery Act this spring, with an unprecedented $1 billion investment in the GSA’s Technology Modernization Fund, or TMF, and a host of priority IT modernization projects funded across various agencies.
The president’s proposed fiscal 2022 budget continues that trend, with major increases in IT modernization, cybersecurity and the largest proposed research and development budget the Department of Defense has ever seen. The budget provides additional funds for emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence, high-performance computing and biotechnology to foster innovation and support economic growth.
We applaud the administration’s investment in strengthening America’s innovation ecosystem but it will take more than just dollars to achieve these goals. The administration must engage cutting-edge tech companies that will drive economic prosperity and keep the U.S. ahead of its adversaries.
TMF has struggled to get contracts awarded partly due to a bureaucracy that inherently leans toward entrenched contractors who know how to navigate the process. Innovative acquisitions priorities—like the DOD’s other transaction authority—that were implemented specifically to reach non-traditional, outside-the-beltway innovators have seen more than three-quarters of awards go to entities that are already doing defense contracting, according to a Center for Strategic and International Studies report.
As the administration pours billions of dollars into tech modernization and innovation, where that money goes matters. The status quo will lead to the vast majority of that investment being captured by the classic contractor base that knows how to navigate the traditional contracting process.
The Biden-Harris administration and gove ..
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