Amid the flurry of Executive Orders and other initiatives that rocked federal acquisition in 2025, the General Services Administration (GSA) began signaling a major shift in federal procurement with a Request for Information (RFI) issued late summer that sought industry input on building a unified procurement ecosystem. This effort could lead to one of the most impactful modernization efforts in acquisition infrastructure seen in decades.
Although some may view this move as an attempt to simply create a single contract writing system, the RFI suggested something much broader: a standardized, enterprise-level environment that covers the entire procurement lifecycle. If implemented, these components could reshape how acquisition planning, solicitation development, evaluation, award, and contract administration are conducted across agencies.
The Greg and Camille Baroni Center for Government Contracting has analyzed what this entails and how it might affect the acquisition workforce, industry partners, and the future of federal procurement.
Moving Beyond Contract Writing: Building an Acquisition Ecosystem
The RFI presented a vision that encompasses several layers of procurement:
- Centralized databases for acquisition data and documents
- Standardized data models for solicitations, contracts, and task orders
- AI-powered tools covering planning, drafting, evaluation, and administration
- A unified marketplace interface connecting agencies, customers, and suppliers
- Real-time analytics linking procurement actions with financial and performance results
Taken together, these elements suggest that modernizing contract writing is just a part of a larger goal to standardize acquisition workflows across government.
Current policy trends explain the timing well:
- Greater focus on consolidating procurement and shared services
- Administration-wide emphasis on speeding up contracts and reducing cycle times
- Rising demand for enterprise analytics and data-driven decisions
- Rapid progress in AI tools supporting drafting and compliance
This potential ecosystem seeks to reduce workflow variability and improve consistency throughout execution, which could increase workforce efficiency.
Potential Benefits
There are several advantages from a neutral policy standpoint:
Government Agencies
Reduced Fragmentation: Agencies use multiple systems for contracts and acquisition management. Standardization can minimize duplication, streamline training, and boost interoperability.
Improved Transparency and Data Visibility: Centralized data architecture enables leadership to better track cycle times, performance trends, and resource allocation across the enterprise.
Enhanced Collaboration: Integrated tools may resolve challenges like version control, coordination, and sharing information among teams. This can also lead to accelerated timelines.
Commercial Entities
Seller Experience Improvements: Vendors, especially small businesses, often face inconsistent formats and portals across agencies. Unified interfaces could make navigation easier and reduce friction.
Key Questions and Risks
Every major transformation brings questions:
Governance and Flexibility: Can centralized workflows adapt to different agency missions, authorities, and cultures? Federal agencies vary widely in mission, risk tolerance, and acquisition approach.
Contracting Officer Discretion: If policies are embedded in system workflows, will professionals retain flexibility to tailor procurements? System design may shape acquisition decisions as much as regulations do.
Data Governance and AI Accountability: What safeguards will ensure transparency, auditability, and proper use of acquisition data, particularly with AI integrated? This will be critical as automated tools influence drafting and decision support.
Innovation Pathways: Would standardization discourage alternative methods or experimentation? Improved consistency is necessary, but any standardization must also leave room for experimentation and alternative acquisition pathways.
Second-Order Effects Worth Watching
Longer-term impacts could include:
Government Agencies:
- Policy interpretation moving from human judgment to automated system workflows
- Acquisition performance becoming more measurable and actively managed
- Workforce roles shifting toward data literacy and platform governance alongside traditional expertise
Commercial Entities:
- Changes in competition dynamics as agency-specific differences decrease
These possibilities highlight the need for thoughtful implementation and stakeholder engagement.
Enhancing Outcomes
We recommend adding a platform for real-time communication between government and industry to any final solution from this initiative. A smartly designed online portal would let acquisition professionals, program office customers, and businesses discuss opportunities before solicitations are released, improving market research and decision-making. This could strengthen competition and help companies target opportunities that fit their strengths.
Currently, agency communication is fragmented; standardizing it would greatly improve interactions with industry. Recognizing the cybersecurity challenges associated with government and industry accessing the same portal, if those issues could eventually be overcome it would present a tremendous opportunity to link market research and acquisition planning with contract execution.
Impacts for the Acquisition Community
Though the RFI marks an early stage with key design choices ahead, it is clear federal acquisition modernization is now prioritizing enterprise architecture over isolated upgrades. For practitioners and industry, the question is about how standardized data, AI-enabled tools, and shared infrastructure will transform the process. The federal government has modernized procurement systems before, but what could be different about this approach is the convergence of data standardization, shared services, and AI-enabled workflows all pointing toward enterprise-level transformation rather than incremental change.
The appetite for tech innovation in acquisition also seems to be growing across agencies as leaders like Andrea Brandon, MLS, MPA explore uses cases. For example, the Department of Interior recently began incorporating bots into their contracting processes to streamline activity using Robotic Process Automation (RPA). As the federal acquisition workforce continues gaining a comfort level with modernized tools through low-barrier pilots, this could pave the way for easier adoption of a unified procurement ecosystem.
The Greg and Camille Baroni Center for Government Contracting in the George Mason University Costello College of Business will stay attentive to future developments associated with this initiative and examine their effects on workforce readiness, procurement outcomes, and government contracting innovation.
Visit the Greg and Camille Baroni Center for Government Contracting site for additional GovCon insights and thought leadership.