SOFTWARE ACQUISITION


The secret sauce lies in Labyrinth—Applied Cyber Technologies’ prototype solutions delivery mechanism.


while saving the government money on protracted development of full-fledged products that may not even work. Labyrinth is an Agile mechanism and does not require heavy lifting to imple- ment. It supports creative collaboration with other organizations, and—in Applied Cyber Technologies’ case—with other services.


Other-transaction authority provides a way for organizations to create prototype solutions in a rapid and streamlined manner. Tese innovative vehicles can lead to successful prototypes that solve an immediate problem, while simultaneously paving the way for a more formal FAR-based acquisition down the road.


Other-transaction authority has been available to us for a long time. Because it can occasionally generate questions resulting from their unique nature, some organizations understandably are still cautious about using other-transaction authority when crafting an acquisition strategy. Te vehicles are worth considering for their potential to help solve real-world problems. Other- transaction authority is “different” and requires organizations to think differently. In the end, thinking “differently” can make all the difference for our warriors.


CONCLUSION Labyrinth stands out as an example of what is possible when orga- nizations challenge their own assumptions.


Applied Cyber Technologies was established in 2018 to identify ways to rapidly provide solutions to the U.S. Army’s defensive cyber forces. Since its inception, the organization has known that Federal Acquisition Regulation-based vehicles would not suffice; it also has understood that other-transaction authority is suitably designed to provide the very solutions needed, even if only in prototype form. Applied Cyber Technologies’ Labyrinth and its use of other-transaction authority enable the rapid devel- opment of prototypes, as well as strategic collaborations like the project with the joint services.


COLLECTIVE COORDINATION


U.S. Cyber Command personnel work to defend the nation in cyberspace at Fort George G. Meade, Maryland. Cyber Command's mission is to direct, synchronize and coordinate cyberspace planning and operations—to defend and advance national interest—in collaboration with domestic and international partners. (Photo by Josef Cole, U.S. Cyber Command)


It is possible that these innovations would have never come to pass had Applied Cyber Technologies held onto traditional ideas about what could or should be. Tinking differently leads to doing differently, and redefines concepts and new possibilities.


For more information, go to https://www.eis.army.mil/ programs/act.


FIANNA LITVOK is the communications lead for Applied Cyber Technologies, and a two-time winner of the Maj. Gen. Harold “Harry” Greene Awards for Acquisition Writing. She also serves as a military intelligence chief warrant officer in the U.S. Army National Guard’s 91st Cyber Brigade. She holds an M.A. in English and B.A. degrees in English and history from Stony Brook


University.


https://asc.ar my.mil


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