GSA Blog

Cutting Red Tape, Strengthening Results: Early Lessons from the RFO

For decades, the federal acquisition system grew more complex as new rules and compliance requirements layered onto the process. Each addition addressed a specific challenge, but the cumulative effect added expenses and made procurement harder and slower.

The Revolutionary FAR Overhaul (RFO) is designed to change that. Representing the most significant simplification of acquisition regulations in more than 40 years, it’s returning the FAR to its statutory foundations while modernizing how agencies acquire goods and services. The goal is not to weaken oversight. It is to restore common-sense procurement with fewer unnecessary procedural layers, more room for innovative small businesses, and greater room for professional judgment. 

Early results show what that looks like in practice:

Digital Analytics Program: 43% Savings in 21 Days

When GSA’s Technology Transformation Services needed to procure a SaaS digital analytics platform at an estimated cost of $3.5 million, the team conducted a focused comparative evaluation of three vendors on the Federal Supply Schedule, leading to negotiated reductions in labor rates and usage fees. The contract was awarded in 21 days at roughly $2 million, a 43% savings against the original estimate.

Oral Plans Save Weeks

GSA’s Assisted Acquisition Service accelerated a $60 million IT services requirement for the Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office. An oral acquisition plan replaced a lengthy written document, saving approximately four weeks. Questions were resolved in real-time rather than through week-long written review cycles. AI transcription maintained auditability without the burden of manual documentation. This resulted in faster decisions, better strategy, more satisfied customers, and a stronger learning environment for the acquisition team.

Exercising Flexibility to Protect Competition

FAS recently conducted a competitive FAR 8.4 acquisition centered on oral presentations with limited written administrative submissions. One vendor submitted the required pricing file and administrative documents on time, but the contracting officer later determined the oral presentation aides and signed amendments were missing, making the quote non-responsive under the solicitation. Under the RFO’s new flexibilities, the contracting officer accepted the remaining files because doing so did not delay the acquisition. This allowed the vendor’s quote to be considered as part of the competition for a shared service GSA delivers across the federal government.

From Rules to Results

In each case, acquisition professionals focused on fundamentals, understanding the market, evaluating solutions, and delivering results, rather than navigating procedural complexity. 

Even as efforts move quickly to modernize and revolutionize the FAR, rigorous review is ensuring accuracy and maintaining safeguards that protect taxpayer dollars. Reducing red tape is not simply about rewriting regulations. It is about enabling the acquisition workforce to spend less time navigating rules and procedures, and more time delivering outcomes for agencies and the American people.

Visit Acquisition.gov for guidance and resources to support implementation across the federal acquisition workforce.