Elodie Collins 
- Booz Allen executives called for expanding commercial item definitions, accelerating investments and reducing regulatory burdens
- The company supported broader use of fixed-price and outcomes-based contracts to speed technology delivery
- The government has also made regulatory reforms to encourage innovation and rapid capability delivery
Booz Allen Hamilton executives Steve Escaravage, president of the defense technology group and a five-time Wash100 awardee, and Frank Cristinzio, director of government relations, have published a new paper outlining three priorities for acquisition reform: expanding the definition of commercial items, accelerating commercial investments and reducing regulatory burdens.
What Acquisition Reforms Did Booz Allen Recommend?
According to the executives, Congress should broaden the definition of commercial products to include specific modifications needed for warfighting operations. The move, Escaravage and Cristinzio explained, would help DOW procure integrated, mission-ready technologies built on commercial platforms and accelerate deployment in contested and classified environments.
The executives also called for transitioning away from legacy cost-based contracts. The executives welcomed9 the administration’s recent decision to make fixed-price and outcomes-based contracts the default method for procurement, adding that shifting toward modern contracting frameworks that promote speed, innovation and impact “makes good sense.”
The executives additionally urged policymakers to reassess regulatory and audit requirements that increase costs and slow technology delivery across the defense industrial base. The paper noted that businesses currently must comply with more than 1,200 pages of Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement business system rules, noncommercial requirements and audit standards. The Booz Allen executives called on DOW to evaluate if “the oversight value gained outweighs the immense cost imposed on both government and industry.”
What Changes Has the US Government Implemented to Accelerate Commercial Tech Acquisition?
The paper aligns with regulatory changes the administration has introduced to accelerate procurement and expand the adoption of commercial technologies across the federal government and the defense sector.
In April 2025, President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing agencies to streamline the Federal Acquisition Regulation and remove barriers to doing business with the government.
The administration has also focused on reshaping defense contracting practices. Trump signed another EO in January to prioritize warfighter readiness by encouraging defense companies to focus on innovation, production capacity and rapid delivery of capabilities.
