The federal government should emphasize “nimble, rapid procurement” as it advances innovation and integrates emerging technologies, the Alliance for Digital Innovation (ADI) said in a new white paper.
In the May 26 document, which reviews the Trump administration’s technology priorities, ADI recommended that federal officials adopt acquisition pathways and budget and appropriations cycles “that reflect commercial technology lifecycles.” They include modular contracting, commercial-first procurement strategies, and faster award timelines, said ADI, a technology trade group.
“Emerging technologies advance on a fast timeline while procurement mechanisms are slower to incorporate the latest commercial advancements,” the paper said. “Government procurement must match the speed of innovation, while balancing the need for security, to transition from antiquated solutions that are not able to address today’s public sector problems.”
To speed procurement, the report said, policymakers should expand the use of Other Transaction Authority (OTA), enabling “faster transition of emerging technologies, such as AI, cybersecurity tools, and cloud capabilities.”
It also recommended strengthening public-private technology partnerships and advancing comprehensive technology modernization strategies.
The paper praised the administration’s technology efforts, with ADI Executive Director Ross Nodurft telling MeriTalk that “AI models have improved at an incredible pace in the last year.”
“The administration has emphasized efficiency, modernization, and restoring America’s strategic advantages, and technology adoption and innovation have been core to its work,” he said. “Our report offers several specific recommendations to modernize government procurement to ensure agencies have access to the best tools to accelerate progress on the most important challenges facing our country.”
Government-wide, the paper says, agencies are “prioritizing emerging technologies – AI, machine learning, data analytics, quantum computing, and next-generation networks – implemented through a security-by-design lens. The Administration is pairing these investments with aggressive efforts to retire legacy IT, expand cloud computing and shared services, and consolidate enterprise infrastructure to improve efficiency, resilience, and service delivery.”
Specifically, the administration has made AI “the centerpiece of the FY 2026 and FY 2027 technology strategy” while seeking “to accelerate AI adoption across civilian and defense agencies,” the report said.
It also lauded the administration for sustaining quantum computing “as a national priority, particularly for national security,” and framing “emerging technologies not as isolated investments but as integrated capabilities essential to modern governance, national security, and sustained U.S. technological leadership.”
Analyzing the administration’s budget requests, the paper singled out several technology investments for praise, including $1.2 billion for AI supercomputers and increased Customs and Border Protection funding for AI and other technologies.
It was especially complimentary toward the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Genesis Mission, launched last year to harness AI across DOE’s science, energy, and national security programs.
“For ADI members and the broader commercial technology industry, Genesis represents the most significant federal opportunity in emerging technology in a generation,” the paper said.
Even the Trump administration’s controversial government reorganization efforts – which included large-scale layoffs and departures of employees in IT management or telecommunications-related roles – created what ADI described as “a pathway for investment in commercial technology to address critical public sector problems and drive efficiencies.”