The "Breaking Barriers: Extending Software-Intensive Acquisition Pathways Workshop" paper presents key recommendations to modernize Department of Defense (DoD) software acquisition. The workshop - hosted by MITRE during the Breaking Barriers in Defense Acquisition Summit and involving government, industry, and research experts - identified six priorities: enabling flexible funding (“colorless money”), updating GAO audit standards for software, overhauling cost estimation, leveraging value assessments, developing organizational reference design architectures, and rethinking software testing.
Breaking Barriers: Extending Software-Intensive Acquisition Pathways
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This paper summarizes the outcomes of a multi-stakeholder workshop, held during MITRE’s Breaking Barriers in Defense Acquisition in May 2025, focused on advancing software-intensive acquisition pathways within the Department of Defense (DoD).
In response to recent Executive Orders and legislative initiatives prioritizing innovation and rapid capability delivery, the workshop convened representatives from government, industry, and Federally Funded Research and Development Centers to identify persistent barriers and propose actionable recommendations.
The six primary recommendations include: enabling software programs to operate with flexible funding (“colorless money”); updating the Government Accountability Office (GAO) Yellow Book to include software acquisition frameworks; overhauling traditional cost estimation processes to reflect modern software development practices; expanding the use of value assessments for program accountability; developing organizational reference design architectures to ensure workforce competency and consistency; and modernizing testing and evaluation strategies for iterative software delivery.
These recommendations support and amplify ongoing DoD modernization efforts, including the FY26 SASC NDAA and the SPEED Act, and are intended to better position DoD software programs for rapid, iterative capability development. MITRE is spearheading the implementation of these recommendations, with several prioritized for short- and mid-term action to enhance acquisition agility and effectiveness.
Breaking Barriers in Defense Acquisition
MITRE’s "Breaking Barriers in Defense Acquisition" Summit, held in May 2025, launched a transformative journey to modernize defense acquisition for speed, innovation, and warfighter effectiveness.