OUSD(A&S) Invites Industry Input on Acquisition Data Collection Burdens
The Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment is seeking public feedback on a proposed information collection. The request focuses on reducing administrative burden, improving data utility, and integrating automated collection technologies across defense procurement processes.
The Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment (OUSD(A&S)) has published a regulatory notice in the Federal Register requesting public commentary on a proposed information collection under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. This regulatory procedure provides a formal venue for the Department of Defense (DoD) to evaluate, refine, and modernize how data is collected from commercial partners, prime contractors, and institutional vendors supporting defense acquisition programs.
The Department is soliciting feedback across four core dimensions: whether the proposed data collection is essential to agency operations and offers tangible utility; the accuracy of DoD's underlying estimates regarding administrative compliance burden; operational methods to enhance the quality, clarity, and structure of collected information; and strategic approaches to minimize compliance overhead on respondents. Notably, OUSD(A&S) is placing explicit emphasis on leveraging automated collection techniques and modern information technology infrastructure to streamline data intake across the defense enterprise.
For defense industry executives, program managers, and commercial innovators, this request presents a direct strategic opportunity to influence reporting requirements and shape regulatory compliance standards. Administrative overhead and reporting complexity in federal contracting frequently drive up indirect costs, create friction in program delivery, and slow acquisition velocity. By submitting detailed feedback—especially regarding the adoption of cloud-native reporting, standardized API integration, and automated compliance tools—contractors can actively help remove administrative bottlenecks, lower entry barriers for dual-use commercial providers, and reduce corporate compliance overhead.
From a government leadership perspective, refining information collection requests aligns with broader institutional directives to streamline the defense acquisition lifecycle and accelerate capability delivery to warfighters. Program executive offices and acquisition officials rely on high-fidelity data to maintain program oversight, yet redundant or manual reporting processes tax contractor capacity without delivering actionable insight. Industry stakeholders and policy leaders are encouraged to participate during the public comment window to ensure future information architecture balances rigorous program governance with maximum operational speed. (Source: Federal Register — DoD)
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