https://k4i.com/tags/federal-acquisition/ Recent content in Federal Acquisition on k4i.com Hugo en-us Mon, 13 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://k4i.com/buy-build-or-let-the-vendor-decide-how-federal-agencies-are-approaching-ai-acquisition/ Mon, 13 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://k4i.com/buy-build-or-let-the-vendor-decide-how-federal-agencies-are-approaching-ai-acquisition/ <p>One of the more useful contributions of GAO&rsquo;s April 2026 AI acquisitions report (GAO-26-107859) is its taxonomy of the different procurement approaches federal agencies are actually using—not as a policy prescription, but as an empirical account of what agencies have tried, what trade-offs they&rsquo;ve encountered, and where each approach leaves agencies exposed.</p> <p><strong>Agency-Directed vs. Vendor-Driven</strong></p> <p>Some agencies began with a defined requirement and went out to acquire a solution. Others found vendors presenting AI capabilities to them that didn&rsquo;t correspond to any existing requirement—and accepting those offerings anyway. GSA acquired a facility management software platform that included a chatbot feature the vendor added as a bonus, not in response to any stated requirement. VA awarded a task order for medical software that arrived with embedded AI capabilities.</p>