Inside FDA’s New IT Acquisition Strategy

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA)’s upcoming IT acquisition strategy centralizes vendor management and standardizes how it plans to buy technology over the next 10 years. The new approach falls under the agency’s broader transformation plan to create a shared ecosystem called “OneFDA” that optimizes investments and improves communication.

“This strategic shift enables the FDA to leverage economies of scale, negotiate better terms with vendors and align procurement activities more closely with organizational objectives and industry best practices,” FDA Office of Enterprise Portfolio Management Director Joseph Montgomery told GovCIO Media & Research.

Officials noted the strategy’s relevance in a time of ever-changing technological needs and regulatory demands.

“It also plays a crucial role in enhancing acquisition workforce development initiatives, ensuring that our IT investments empower FDA staff with the skills and tools needed to effectively drive mission-critical outcomes,” Jessica Berrellez, executive officer for the Office of Digital Transformation and director of Office of Organizational Excellence at FDA, told GovCIO Media & Research.

“This strategy is pivotal in strengthening our IT infrastructure, modernizing enterprise services, fostering the development of shared enterprise data and embracing cutting-edge technologies and innovations,” Montgomery added.

Acquisition Reform for AI

Acquisition reform has long been a focus in government as agencies grapple with finding better ways to keep pace with technological change. FDA CIO Vid Desai told GovCIO Media & Research that his office is working with the agency’s centers to advance artificial intelligence and machine-learning capabilities in day-to-day operations and saw an opportunity for improved acquisition.

“Collaborating with vendors, we aim to produce an acquisition path and infrastructure that enables more widespread AI across the agency,” said Desai.

In January, the office established a cross-agency AI governance board to develop an evaluation framework for acquiring AI tools.

“The FDA is actively exploring and evaluating the integration of artificial intelligence across various aspects of its work, both within the agency and in the development and manufacturing of FDA-regulated products,” said Berrellez. “Additionally, we are conducting a comprehensive AI assessment, with plans to publish the results in the future.”

According to Montgomery, the acquisition strategy will leverage innovative acquisition techniques to shorten the time to implement new technologies and services. This includes consolidating contracts and using larger contracting vehicles.

“By consolidating contracts, streamlining procurement processes and enhancing our assessment of new technologies, we can reduce duplicative work, optimize resource use, and shorten cycle times. This fosters collaboration among centers and offices as we build a more strategically aligned technology landscape,” said Montgomery.

Transforming Vendor Management

The agency also aims to improve relationships with vendors as part of its new Vendor Management Program, which would allow FDA to update frameworks more quickly in response to new developments in medical devices or therapies. In the new OneFDA approach, centers and offices can share solutions for common issues.

“[The program] facilitates the purchase of common systems and solutions, enables agency spend reviews, eliminates redundant business arrangements, streamlines lower-value tasks and provides economies of scale across the FDA,” said Montgomery.

Additionally, the strategy aims to break down data silos, modernize legacy systems to increase cost savings, transition to cloud-based tools and recruit top IT talent.

The new plan is currently open for public comment through Aug. 30 and would publish later this fiscal year.