At the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the acquisition of a digital product proceeds upon business case approval and results in procurement of the system, product and/or services to meet the business need. When pursuing Agile development, a modular contracting approach should be used. Modular contracting is defined in the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) as the “use of one or more contracts to acquire information technology systems in successive, interoperable increments.”

At a minimum, a modular acquisition approach should follow the phases defined for Agile development: Discovery, Development and Continuous Improvement, with funding taking place at the beginning of each phase.

Contracting options are based on the business need being met and contract types or vehicles available. All acquisitions are subject to the FAR and OMB Circular A-130.

Resources

• TechFAR Handbook: Highlights the flexibilities in the FAR that can help agencies use contractors to support an iterative, customer-driven software development process.
• Modular Contracting Whitepaper: A White House sponsored whitepaper providing guidance on executing modular contracts.
• 18F Vendor Marketplace for Agile Delivery: Provides more details on the GSA 18F blanket purchase agreement (BPA) for Agile Delivery Services (need an Agency IAA in place).