By Katie Helwig
Mild Red CEO and GSA OASIS Plus Nerd Katie Helwig attended Monday’s ACCELERATE 2025 Event. Here she shares her takeaways.
ACCELERATE 2025 brought together senior federal leaders and industry experts to share strategies for advancing innovation, streamlining operations, and building a more secure, data-driven government. The event featured practical insights on shared services, acquisition reform, enterprise data management, and cybersecurity culture.
1. Shared Services Transformation at FDA
Dr. Barclay Butler, newly appointed Deputy Commissioner for Operations & COO at the FDA, is leading a push to consolidate operational functions and deliver enterprise efficiency:
- Mission: Implement shared services across HR, Finance, FOIA, Travel, IT procurement, and training.
- Status:
- Design Phase complete
- Implementation Phase 2 halfway done (2 months remaining)
- Phase 3 – Optimization expected in 3–4 months.
- Drivers:
- 26% budget reduction with RIFs
- Consolidation of cross-divisional functions while retaining mission IT at the agency level.
- Key Points for Industry:
- Clear KPIs and SLAs enable vendors to align with mission value.
- Dr. Butler prioritizes proven performance before large-scale adoption—risk tolerance is low but calculated.
- Vision for a single scientific platform agency-wide.
- Open to industry meetings—reach out via email.
2. Acquisition at the Speed of Innovation
Panelists from HHS, VA, NASA, and GSA addressed the reality and future of federal procurement:
- VA Focus Areas:
- Consolidation of redundant tasks and systems.
- Integration across agencies in EHR modernization, supply chain, inventory, and financial management.
- Balancing “pet projects” with strategic modernization.
- FAR Updates from GSA:
- 40% reduction in FAR content (removing non-statutory language).
- Commitment to plain English solicitations and outcome-focused problem statements.
- Empowering local contracting officers with more discretion.
- Smart accelerators encourage industry-driven solutions.
- NASA Initiatives:
- AI podcasts to train the acquisition workforce.
- Innovation Advocates in Procurement Centers.
- Continued use of CSOs and OTAs for flexibility.
3. Practical Advice for Industry
- Build relationships with program offices early—SBIR/STTR can open doors.
- Connect with government liaisons via LinkedIn—procurement is “people doing business with people.”
4. Enterprise Data Platforms – The New Normal
Across CMS, DHA, CDC, and HHS, the conversation centered on moving to enterprise data platforms:
- Data Management: Consolidating and validating assets.
- Data Governance: Clarity on data ownership once centralized.
- Change Management: Building workforce confidence in digital transformation.
- AI in Action:
- Extracting insights from PDFs.
- Exploring AI-generated ideas while acknowledging risks like hallucinations.
5. Cybersecurity – A “Bake It In” Mindset
- Moving cybersecurity to the left—integrating security from the start of development rather than as an afterthought.
- DoD advocating for CMMC adoption in FedCiv to enable true data interoperability across government.
Overall Themes
- Efficiency Through Shared Services – Doing more with less by consolidating functions.
- Acquisition Reform & Innovation – Simplifying processes, empowering contracting officers, and promoting outcome-based solicitations.
- Data as a Strategic Asset – Governance, integration, and interoperability are critical to mission success.
- Cyber First Culture – Security embedded at every stage of solution development.
- People-Centric Change – Trust, transparency, and proven performance drive transformation.
Bottom Line: Government agencies are looking for trusted, agile industry partners who can align with mission outcomes, prove performance before scaling, and embrace security and data governance as core competencies.
