[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 221 (Friday, November 17, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 80339-80345]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-25370]


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OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET

Office of Federal Procurement Policy


Acquisition Data Management

AGENCY:  Office of Federal Procurement Policy, Office of Management and 
Budget.

ACTION:  Proposed new Office of Management and Budget Circular No. A-
XXX, ``Strategic Management of Acquisition Data and Information''.

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SUMMARY:  The Office of Federal Procurement Policy (OFPP) in the Office 
of Management and Budget (OMB) is proposing a new OMB Circular, 
Strategic Management of Acquisition Data and Information. The purpose 
of this Circular is to improve agency access to reliable data and 
information. Using relevant acquisition data throughout the acquisition 
lifecycle facilitates successful contracting outcomes. This Circular 
establishes a centralized data management strategy to create robust 
knowledge and data banks, develop standard data sharing processes, and 
improve agency access to tools and resources for acquisition-related 
decision-making.

DATES: Interested parties should submit comments in writing to the 
address below on or before January 16, 2024.

ADDRESSES: Submit comments to the Federal eRulemaking Portal: https://www.regulations.gov. Follow the instructions on the portal for 
submitting comments. Instructions: Please submit comments only and cite 
``Proposed New OMB Circular A-XXX'' in all correspondence. All comments 
received will be posted, without change or redaction, to 
www.regulations.gov, so commenters should not include information that 
they do not wish to be posted (for example because they consider it 
personal or business confidential). Additionally, the OMB System of 
Records Notice, OMB Public Input System of Records, OMB/INPUT/01 
includes a list of routine uses associated with the collection of this 
information.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kristen Wilson, +1 (202) 881-9426, 
[email protected] or send your email to 
[email protected], Office of Federal Procurement Policy, 725 
17th Street NW, Washington, DC 20006, at 202-395-6805.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: There are tens of billions of acquisition 
data points residing in over 170 contract writing systems (including 
legacy systems) and over 15 payment processing platforms across the 
Federal enterprise. Historically, much of this data has been collected 
and managed by agencies. Agencies have used their resources to build 
tools within their agency, harnessing internal data and databases, but 
this has often led to duplicative tools and efforts and a lack of 
coordination across agencies. This approach has limited Government-wide 
capacity for analytics, insights, and efficiency gains other than the 
System for Award Management and the Federal Procurement Data System, 
which generally provide aggregate data but very little pricing and best 
practices information.
    To address these challenges, the proposed Circular would establish 
a new acquisition data management policy of promoting Hi-Definition 
(Hi-Def) acquisitions where agencies are able to acquire supplies or 
services using acquisition data that is easily accessed and available 
at the time of need. To that end, OMB is creating a Hi-Def acquisition 
framework to promote data interoperability, sharing of acquisition data 
between agencies, and enterprise-wide data analysis. This framework is 
supported by a Hi-Def acquisition data environment that includes a 
scalable technical architecture and solution to store, access, utilize, 
share, and archive acquisition data without having to duplicate data, 
tools, or effort. Hi-Def acquisitions are a critical component of the 
acquisition community's work to buy as an organized enterprise, as it 
will provide access to the breadth and depth of information needed to 
support the activities of the largest and most sophisticated buyer in 
the world.
    Achieving a Hi-Def environment will require greater transparency 
and collaboration in agency data systems planning and investment 
decisions where these activities would impact the Government's ability 
to achieve data interoperability for information that is critical or 
can otherwise significantly improve acquisition decision-making at both 
the Government-wide and agency-wide level. To this end, the Circular 
(1) establishes interagency governance, (2) defines agency roles and 
responsibilities, and (3) supports the design and development of 
solutions to drive interoperability, allowing systems to connect and 
share acquisition data wherever they reside within the Federal 
government without duplication.
    Of particular note, the proposed Circular would:
    Require agencies to prepare annual strategic plans. Agencies will 
report on steps to address general data management stewardship, 
government-wide priority initiatives and individualized acquisition 
data hurdles or responsibilities that may impact other agencies.
    Build appropriate centralization. The Circular will support 
centralized standards, knowledge banks, and data-sharing tools using 
established and strengthened governance. Existing standards and 
processes will be updated, modernized, and enforced

[[Page 80340]]

through greater transparency and interoperability. Data sharing tools 
will allow agencies to maintain existing systems but create the ability 
to pull data from the source where it resides for much improved 
analytics and insights. Shared solutions will increase efficiency 
across all agencies.
    Promote data-sharing technologies. The Circular prepares agencies 
for an interoperable future where all acquisition data can be shared 
and accessed. Current Hi-Def efforts are being conducted through pilots 
on a voluntary basis to address challenges in interoperability. The 
Circular anticipates that agencies will begin exploring, planning for, 
and building application programming interfaces (APIs) and other access 
points while and working within the governance structure to develop 
appropriate standards and processes. It provides a mechanism to enable 
agencies to ask for further direction and resources in these endeavors 
from OMB and through the budget process. Increased collaboration 
between agencies will facilitate knowledge and best practices sharing 
from agencies that have already explored the implementation of these 
tools internally, as well as the related pilots.
    Establish policies for agency collection and sharing of their 
acquisition data. Contract cost efficiencies increase when buyers are 
able to improve their negotiating posture with access to standardized 
transactional data that can give them insight into prices paid and 
favorable contract terms and conditions. Accordingly, with limited 
exception, agencies will be expected to centrally collect acquisition 
data, such as, but not limited to, market research, contract documents 
such as statements of work, performance work statements, statements of 
objective, terms, conditions, prices paid for commodities or services, 
and other data or information that a contracting official, program 
official or other member of the integrated product team would use 
during the acquisition lifecycle as part of their stewardship 
responsibility to obtain best value for the Federal government. 
Agencies should share their data with GSA and other agencies 
responsible for data collection so that the information may be analyzed 
by data and market experts and made available for agency use, including 
through on-demand tools that the agencies create. GSA and other data 
collection agencies will use data sharing agreements, as appropriate, 
with data protection and security protocols to prevent against the 
unauthorized disclosure of data. OMB will work with agencies to develop 
data sharing agreement templates to address how information is 
accessed, used, and shared.
    Establish an interagency working group. In order to determine the 
best implementation of data sharing, such as APIs, across contract 
writing systems, the working group would bring together contract 
writing system managers, computer engineers, and acquisition data 
experts. As an initial step, agencies would conduct an initial 
assessment of their contract pricing and invoicing data to establish an 
agency baseline and determine the variation of starting points between 
agencies.
    Facilitate other collaborative actions and workforce development 
with data management. Agencies would be expected to actively contribute 
to existing knowledge portals on innovative techniques and emerging 
technology and support expansion, implementation, and promotion of 
acquisition data management training and certification efforts for the 
acquisition workforce.

Christine J. Harada,
Senior Advisor, Office of Federal Procurement Policy.
PROPOSED CIRCULAR NO. A-XXX
TO THE HEADS OF EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENTS AND ESTABLISHMENTS
SUBJECT: Strategic Management of Acquisition Data and Information
    1. Purpose: The purpose of this Circular is to improve agency 
access to reliable data and information. Using relevant acquisition 
data throughout the acquisition lifecycle facilitates successful 
contracting outcomes. This Circular establishes a centralized data 
management strategy to create robust knowledge and data banks, develop 
standard data sharing processes, and improve agency access to tools and 
resources for acquisition-related decision-making.
    The Federal government has taken significant steps to improve the 
collection and use of data related to contracting transactions, 
including amounts obligated, information about how contracts are 
awarded, and the identity of the awardees. For example, the Integrated 
Award Environment (IAE), through the System for Award Management (SAM), 
provides important information to the acquisition community and the 
public and is integral to agencies' management of contracting 
processes.
    However, other important acquisition-related data and information 
are not being shared Government-wide--or are underutilized. This is 
often because such information resides in disparate agency systems, 
include non-standardized data elements and definitions, across public 
and commercial domains, and therefore are not generally interoperable 
across agencies. For example, line item pricing information may be kept 
in agency-specific contract writing systems, in one or more payment 
platforms, or in internal or external databases that are not easily 
accessible. As a result, acquisition professionals across the Federal 
government may not have access to key information for contract 
negotiations or for critical contract management functions.
    The Office of Management and Budget seeks to promote Hi-Definition 
(Hi-Def) acquisitions where agencies are able to acquire supplies or 
services using relevant acquisition data that is easily accessed and 
available when it is needed. To that end, OMB is creating a Hi-Def 
acquisition framework to promote data interoperability, sharing of 
acquisition data between agencies and enterprise-wide data analysis. 
This framework is supported by a Hi-Def acquisition data environment 
that includes a scalable technical architecture and solution to store, 
access, utilize, share, and archive acquisition data without having to 
duplicate data, tools, or effort. Together, the Hi-Def framework and 
data environment will provide a coordinated, Government-wide approach 
to accessing, using, and managing acquisition data and developing and 
deploying innovative tools that use this information to better support 
the acquisition lifecycle, such as GSA's Transactional Data Reporting 
(TDR) program which allows for improved pricing and related data 
analytics that support enhanced decision-making. The Hi-Def framework 
and data environment will be built around the following three 
management and organizing principles:
    (1) continuously identify areas of need through interagency 
governance structures including existing committees, such as the 
Procurement Committee for E-government (PCE) and other working groups;
    (2) assess agency compliance with existing standards, current data 
collection and interoperability efforts; and identify proper 
acquisition data subject matter experts for roles defined in section 3 
and Appendix C; and
    (3) design and develop agency solutions using human-centered design 
principles to drive interoperability and scalability of acquisition 
data through existing technology inventories, data

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standards, data sharing agreements, as appropriate, and yearly 
acquisition data strategic planning to support the initiative.
    2. Policy: Agencies should utilize acquisition data management 
practices that promote interoperability, scalability, and usability 
across the Government.\1\ These practices should make acquisition data 
easily accessible when it is needed to inform decision-making 
throughout the acquisition lifecycle.
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    \1\ Such requirements and assessment criteria will be available 
at https://www.acquisition.gov.
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    3. Responsibilities: This policy will be implemented in accordance 
with the following responsibilities.
    a. OMB--With the support of the Government-wide governance 
structures identified in Appendix C, OMB is responsible for the 
following:
    i. Provide direction to agencies for the annual creation of a 
strategic plan to prioritize acquisition data management activities. 
OMB, in collaboration with the working group established pursuant to 
section 6a, will provide direction to agencies for the creation of 
strategic plans that adequately address the agency's acquisition data 
resources and infrastructure and the status of the agency's activities 
to implement Government-wide priorities and agency-specific priorities.
    ii. Develop standards, as necessary, to support transactional 
pricing data or any other transactional activity requiring 
standardization. OMB will identify minimum transactional pricing data 
elements (e.g., CLIN standards) for collection and transmission that 
would minimize agency burden while providing insight at a government-
wide level. OMB will consider the commonalities identified from the 
initial data assessment performed by agencies as a basis for 
standardization.
    iii. Require appropriate information sharing and collaboration. 
Agencies must share information using proper data security to support 
greater transparency, and inform buying decisions for the Federal 
enterprise. OMB will collaborate with governance groups and agencies to 
prioritize information sharing needs and capabilities and to develop 
appropriate data sharing agreement templates.
    b. Agencies--Agencies are responsible for taking the following 
actions in furtherance of the acquisition data management policies 
established by this Circular:
    i. Create a strategic plan to prioritize and resource their 
acquisition data management activities, consistent with direction from 
OMB. Agencies shall annually evaluate and document results of 
assessments along with any new agency policies and processes in an 
Annual Acquisition Data Strategic Plan as outlined in Appendix E, using 
the template provided \2\ to support agency budget planning and 
investment discussions.
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    \2\ Template will be provided on a yearly basis and found on 
https://www.acquisition.gov/datainitiatives.
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    ii. Integrate best business practices into agency data strategy for 
the generation, collection, use, sharing, and improvement of data. 
Agencies should utilize the Federal Integrated Business Framework 
(FIBF) \3\ in developing their Annual Acquisition Data Strategic Plans 
and share best business practices with GSA who will make the 
information publicly available and easily accessible.
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    \3\ Federal Integrated Business Framework [bond] Federal Shared 
Services, https://ussm.gsa.gov/fibf/.
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    iii. Collect data centrally and be prepared, upon request by OMB 
and the Category Manager, to share their acquisition data, as 
appropriate, and on an agreed upon cadence.\4\ Centralized data 
collection within the agency is critical to the agency's ability to 
readily share their acquisition data governmentwide. Agencies that are 
responsible for collecting agency data must use appropriate protocols 
to prevent the unauthorized disclosure of data. Data sharing agreements 
may be used to establish how information is accessed, used, and shared. 
Agencies should not agree to terms and conditions with their 
contractors that broadly prohibit the sharing of their acquisition data 
with other Government agencies, except where sharing is prohibited by 
law or where the contract identifies the data or information is 
proprietary. OMB may request an explanation from the agency's Senior 
Procurement Executive when the agency withholds requested acquisition 
data that is not otherwise legally prohibited from disclosure. Equally 
important, agencies must assume responsibility for making data-driven 
decisions and for providing their acquisition workforce with critical 
information needed to negotiate contracts in the best interest of 
taxpayers. Agencies should work with GSA on the development and 
adoption of Government-wide data analytics tools and taking steps to 
ensure members of the workforce with responsibilities for managing 
common spending are trained in using these tools.
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    \4\ Office of Mgmt. & Budget, Exec. Office of the President, OMB 
M-19-13, Category Management: Making Smarter Use of Common Contract 
Solutions and Practices (2019), available at https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/M-19-13.pdf.
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    iv. Actively contribute to existing knowledge portals on innovative 
techniques and emerging technology. Agencies should actively collect 
and share information and data about their innovative activities 
through organized means, including but not limited to the Inventory of 
Emerging Technologies, the Periodic Table of Acquisition Innovations, 
and future knowledge management tools in the Hi-Def environment, that 
contribute to the collective advancement of a more effective 
acquisition system.
    v. Support expansion, implementation, and promotion of acquisition 
data management training and certification efforts for the acquisition 
workforce. Agencies should work with sources such as, but not limited 
to, the Federal Acquisition Institute (FAI) \5\ and the Defense 
Acquisition University (DAU) \6\ to build data analysis and related 
skills as a core acquisition workforce capability.
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    \5\ FAI Home https://fai.gov/.
    \6\ DAU Home https://www.dau.edu/.
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    c. Electronic Invoicing Providers--Electronic Invoicing Providers 
are responsible for providing electronic interfaces. Agencies shall 
ensure compliance with OMB Memorandum M-15-19 \7\ and successor 
policies, directing all Federal Shared Service Providers (FSSPs) and 
other electronic invoice solution providers to integrate with IAE and 
develop electronic interfaces.
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    \7\ Office of Mgmt. & Budget, Exec. Office of the President, OMB 
M-15-19, Improving Government Efficiency and Saving Taxpayer Dollars 
Through Electronic Invoicing (2015), available at https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/M-19-15.pdf.
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    4. Authorities--OMB issues this Circular pursuant to the Office of 
Federal Procurement Policy Act (41 U.S.C. Chapter 7); the Clinger Cohen 
Act (also known as ``Information Technology Management Reform Act of 
1996''); and 31 U.S.C. Ch. 5.
    5. Effective Date, Applicability and Scope: The Circular is 
effective upon publication in the Federal Register. The policies in 
this Circular apply to all Federal agencies \8\ and shall only be used 
for unclassified data.
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    \8\ For purposes of this Circular, ``agency'' is defined in 41 
U.S.C. 133.
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    6. Transition: The following phase-in actions shall be taken to 
help agencies prepare for the responsibilities enumerated in section 3.
    a. Within 90 days of the effective date of the Circular, OMB will 
establish a working group, that falls under the jurisdiction of the 
Procurement Committee for E-Government. OMB will require agencies, 
within 45 days of the

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effective date of the Circular, to identify, in consultation with their 
PCE representative, one or more government acquisition system technical 
experts who are knowledgeable on making data machine-readable, in an 
open format, and available to computer applications to promote 
interoperability and system integration (i.e. exposing data through 
application programming interfaces (APIs)); the agency contract writing 
system(s) and associated interfaces; agency electronic invoicing 
solution; and information technology infrastructure. OMB will further 
require that working group members:
    i. have the requisite technical developmental expertise to focus on 
the technical solutions to support the identified areas of need and 
develop formal communications of technical requirements for software 
vendors;
    ii. collaborate with the Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council and 
other acquisition policy organizations identified by OFPP and with 
governance groups identified in Appendix C; and
    iii. review previous efforts, if any, to accomplish similar 
initiatives in these areas. Agencies shall identify a working group 
member as the lead for the initial assessment to take place in the 
first year after the release of this policy.
    The working group's initial priority will be to support agencies in 
their individual assessments of the acquisition data environment, 
including through the hosting of workshops, and identify areas of need 
arising out of this assessment.
    b. Within one year of the effective date of this Circular, agencies 
shall perform an initial one-time baseline assessment of their 
acquisition data management capabilities. The assessment shall focus, 
at a minimum, on acquisition data principles, reduction of duplicative 
efforts, data sharing capabilities, and actions to exchange innovative 
practices and solutions. Agencies shall complete and submit an 
assessment of and a roadmap for acquisition data systems, structures, 
and elements involving invoicing, contract writing systems, and 
transactional pricing data. OMB will develop a template to support the 
assessment covering the following information:
    i. Analysis of the current collection of transactional pricing data 
(i.e., contract line-item data) including existing systems, analytical 
capabilities, reporting requirements, and, if not currently being 
collected by a vendor, their level of effort and required resources if 
changes are needed to collect that data;
    ii. Roadmap for making existing and new acquisition data machine-
readable, in an open format, and available to computer applications to 
promote interoperability and system integration, following direction 
from the working group, governance, and policy while coordinating 
across agencies using the same or similar systems;
    iii. Adherence to the existing Federal Electronic Invoicing Data 
Elements Standards mandatory data elements;
    iv. The extent of unstructured acquisition data in contract writing 
systems that are not in a machine-readable format and would be unable 
to be transmitted via API (e.g. ``flat'' file PDFs, contract clauses, 
or additional scanned items that are not machine readable). The focus 
here is data that cannot easily be transformed to be machine readable. 
For example, line item pricing information may be kept in agency-
specific contract writing systems, in one or more payment platforms, or 
in internal or external databases that are not easily accessible; and,
    v. Existing and planned capabilities to share data centrally within 
the agency and to share data with other agencies
    7. Attachments.

a. Appendix A--Definitions
b. Appendix B--Examples of Hi-Def Applications
c. Appendix C--Governance
d. Appendix D--Assuring Uniform Implementation and Data Integrity
e. Appendix E--Documenting Agency Planning

Appendix A. Definitions

    Acquisition--the acquiring by contract with appropriated funds 
of supplies or services (including construction) by and for the use 
of the Federal Government through purchase or lease, whether the 
supplies or services are already in existence or must be created, 
developed, demonstrated, and evaluated. Acquisition begins at the 
point when agency needs are established and includes the description 
of requirements to satisfy agency needs, solicitation and selection 
of sources, award of contracts, contract financing, contract 
performance, contract administration, and those technical and 
management functions directly related to the process of fulfilling 
agency needs by contract. (Source: FAR 2.101 5/26/2022). For the 
purposes of this Circular, acquisition and procurement are used 
interchangeably.
    Acquisition data--data or information that a contracting 
official, program official, or other member of the integrated 
product team would use during the acquisition lifecycle as part of 
their stewardship responsibility to obtain best value for the 
Federal Government, such as, but not limited to, market research, 
contract documents such as statements of work, performance work 
statements, and statements of objective, terms, conditions, and 
prices paid for commodities or services.
    Acquisition data sharing agreement--a document that creates an 
understanding between two or more agencies on how acquisition data 
will be accessed, used, and shared, including an understanding of 
the overall requirements, permissions, procedures, and limitations 
on sharing to ensure compliance with applicable law.
    Acquisition lifecycle--end-to-end management and execution of 
programs/contract and projects. The lifecycle begins with the 
identification of a business need and ends with program/contract 
closeout.
    Data integrity--data integrity refers to the accuracy, 
entireness, and reliability of data both in its physical location 
and during transmission and throughout the stages of generation, 
collection, use, sharing, and improvement, which summarize the 
Federal Data Lifecycle.
    Hi-Definition (Hi-Def) acquisition--the acquiring of supplies or 
services using relevant acquisition data that is easily accessed and 
consumed at the time of need, supported by a governance framework of 
standards and policies that promote data interoperability, secure 
sharing of acquisition data between agencies, and enterprise-wide 
data analysis to inform government-wide and individual agency 
procurements, and a data environment that includes a scalable 
technical architecture and solution to store, access, utilize, 
share, and archive acquisition data without having to duplicate 
data, tools, or effort.
    Integrated Award Environment (IAE)--a government-wide initiative 
administered by the General Services Administration that consists of 
a suite of systems and processes supporting parts of the Federal 
awarding lifecycle. The IAE facilitates the awards processes in 
multiple online systems, including the System for Award Management 
(SAM), that each play a role in the awards lifecycle. Those systems 
are used for registering to do business with the Federal government, 
listing contract opportunities, reporting performance, analyzing 
contract data, and more.
    Transactional data reporting (TDR) program--a data collection 
and reporting system that simplifies the reporting process for 
contractors and improves the accuracy of pricing information. By 
collecting transactional data, the GSA can better analyze pricing 
trends and ensure that government customers are receiving fair and 
reasonable prices.

Appendix B. Examples of Hi-Def Applications

    This appendix provides illustrative examples of how a future Hi-
Def environment will benefit the acquisition lifecycle, agency 
planning and budgeting. The adoption and implementation of these and 
other applications shall be subject to execution of the 
responsibilities outlined in section 3 of this Circular including. 
input from the working group established pursuant to section 6 and 
existing governance bodies.

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            Acquisition lifecycle phase                     Examples of benefits from a hi-def environment
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Business Analysis and Acquisition Planning.........   Find and compare information from different
                                                      agencies on--
                                                     [cir] Requirements Documents (Statements of Work,
                                                      Performance Work Statements, Statement of Objectives).
                                                        [cir] Subcontracting plans.
                                                        [cir] Labor prices.
                                                        [cir] Suppliers.
                                                        [cir] Contract Type(s).
                                                        [cir] Contract prices paid.
                                                        [cir] Transactional data.
                                                        [cir] Other relevant contract deliverables.
                                                      Use a script/code to read, index, and search
                                                      unstructured data.
                                                      Customization using existing contract language.
Package Preparation................................   Utilize reusable and customizable tools and
                                                      artifacts, such as templates and macros for items such as
                                                      task orders, delivery orders and BPA calls.
                                                      Look at previous calls within an existing BPA or
                                                      across other BPAs within separate packages.
                                                      Review terms and conditions.
Source Selection...................................   View past performance data (e.g., Acq360).
                                                      See credit ratings, evaluate contractor
                                                      responsibility, and view financial statements from a
                                                      commercial subscription service.
Performance........................................   Linking SAM.gov registrations with invoice
                                                      processing platforms.
                                                      Ability to perform contract modifications within
                                                      the environment.
                                                      Enhanced performance evaluations that offer more
                                                      targeted questions and can be tailored for product or
                                                      service contracts.
                                                      Ability for CO to generate and communicate data
                                                      needs for the COR to complete and use for invoice payment
                                                      or building past performance. This feedback is then
                                                      reincorporated into earlier phases of the acquisition
                                                      lifecycle.
                                                      Review subcontract performance and small business
                                                      utilization for subcontractors.
                                                      Purchase card data over the micro-purchasing
                                                      threshold.
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Appendix C. Governance

    Creating and maintaining a Hi-Def data environment in a vast and 
complex acquisition ecosystem requires a strong governance structure 
that addresses all facets of the acquisition data lifecycle--i.e., 
generation, collection, use, sharing, and improvement.
    Acquisition governance, including that which falls outside of 
the scope of Hi-Def, shall be carried out using the structures 
described below. These groups below have previously been established 
between agencies through charters, but have not been officially 
acknowledged and defined in OMB policy. Agencies shall ensure that 
their current representatives selected for each governance structure 
listed below or established in support of the goals of the Circular 
possess the necessary skills and abilities to make recommendations 
and decisions that impact the generation, collection, use, sharing, 
and improvement of agency data. As Hi-Def areas grow, additional 
working groups may be established.
    I. The Award Committee for E-Government (ACE)--The ACE serves as 
the executive steering committee that collaborates with OMB in 
developing the vision, strategy, and scope for data management tools 
and capabilities supporting the Federal award process (both 
acquisition and financial assistance).
    A. Composition--the ACE consists of seven Departments identified 
by OMB. Three Departments represent the acquisition community, three 
represent the financial assistance community, and one has 
significant equity in both communities and is the liaison with the 
Chief Financial Officers Council (CFOC). Advisory members may be 
added based on the focus of the activities and/or strategies. OMB, 
OFPP, and the Office of Federal Financial Management (OFFM) are 
permanent advisory members (non-voting).
    B. Leadership--The ACE leadership consists of two Co-chairs, one 
of whom is from the Chief Acquisition Officers Council (CAOC) to 
represent the Federal acquisition community (primary focus on 
procurement), and one representing the financial assistance 
community. Co-chairs are responsible for organizing quarterly 
meetings, including location, logistics, and development of agenda 
with support from OMB or another agency. The Co-chairs are appointed 
by OMB.
    II. The Procurement Committee for E-Government (PCE)--The PCE 
serves as the primary interagency body advising OMB on acquisition 
data with a particular focus on the procurement process. The PCE 
provides recommendations, priorities, and reaches implementation 
decisions that consider the policy, operational, technological, and 
change management aspects necessary to effect positive change in the 
efficiency and effectiveness of the use of technology and data in 
the Federal acquisition and procurement processes.
    A. Composition--The PCE consists of one member from each of the 
24 Executive Branch Agencies as defined by the CFO Act as well as a 
member representing the Small Agency Council (SAC). OMB is a 
permanent advisory (non-voting) member. The membership will provide 
strategic advice and recommendations that may result in Federal-wide 
policy, regulatory, statutory, business process, or information 
technology changes per 41 U.S.C. 1122. As such, PCE members must be 
of sufficient seniority and experience levels to address matters in 
the context of the full Federal environment as well as speak with 
authority and commitment on behalf of their agency. There are 
various working groups under the PCE.
    B. Leadership--The PCE will be co-chaired by leaders from two 
executive branch organizations determined by OMB in collaboration 
with the PCE membership. A senior analyst from OFPP will serve as a 
senior advisor and ad-hoc co-chair, as needed. The PCE will nominate 
three members to represent the acquisition and procurement 
communities on the ACE, one as co-chair and two as voting members.
    III. Change Control Board (CCB)--The CCB serves as the tactical 
layer of governance to support the operations, maintenance, and 
modernization of the centralized fee-for-service systems. The CCB is 
responsible for serving as liaison between the agency and the IAE, 
articulating the agency's position on requirements and changes to 
the IAE, understanding the relationship between agency systems and 
those in the IAE, understanding the functional aspects of all the 
applications in the IAE, and voting on behalf of their agency on 
proposed system changes. As the tactical layer of governance with 
the most familiarity with operations, the CCB is critical to 
ensuring the technology matches policy and operational needs.
    A. Composition--The CCB consists of voting members from the 24 
CFO Act agencies and non-voting members from the SAC. Each CFO Act 
agency is asked to appoint up to three members (one primary voting 
member and two alternates if desired). The appointments must be made 
jointly by the agency SPE and the senior agency official responsible 
for financial assistance in order to facilitate robust 
representation. Each CCB member is responsible for voting on behalf 
of their agency and must:
    1. Understand how federal award regulations, policy, and 
proposed system changes will impact agency operations, systems, and 
workforce;
    2. Possess a high-level familiarity with the operational and 
functional aspects of all systems in the IAE;
    3. Understand the relationship between IAE and agency systems 
and how any

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changes will impact the agency and awarding processes;
    4. Ensure sufficient time and availability to appropriately 
prepare for and attend all CCB meetings and working groups;
    5. Appropriately and consistently communicate information and 
changes produced by the IAE throughout their agency.

Appendix D. Ensuring Uniform Implementation and Data Integrity

    Data integrity refers to the accuracy, completeness, and 
reliability of data in its physical location, during transmission, 
and throughout the stages of generation, collection, use, sharing, 
and improvement, which support the Federal Data Lifecycle (see 
Figure 1). Data integrity is maintained through compliance with 
laws, policies, and standards established by governance. The 
integrity of the Federal acquisition process, including budgeting 
for, planning, managing, and closing out contracts that support 
programs, depends on the quality and availability of data. 
Innovation leads to ongoing business process improvements, requiring 
regular assessments of processes and data against established 
standards. The standardized processes and data will drive strong 
foundations across the Federal acquisition enterprise, while 
encouraging and enabling agency innovation and agility in 
acquisition planning, management, and operations.
[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TN17NO23.013

Data Roles

    This policy builds on the Federal Data Lifecycle by organizing 
its data roles into the five phases of the acquisition data 
lifecycle: Generate, Collect, Share, Use and Improve. In addition, 
privacy and security are roles that affect every aspect of 
acquisition data, and agencies should ensure that the most current 
data protection methodologies are being used and that all applicable 
laws and regulations are being followed.

 Generate--
    [cir] Define: Identify agency and stakeholder needs for 
acquisition data of sufficient quality for intended uses
    [cir] Coordinate: Assess the ability of acquisition data 
resources and infrastructure to meet agency and stakeholder needs
 Collect--
    [cir] Collect: Organize, plan, and execute acquisition data 
collections and acquisitions to meet agency and stakeholder needs
    [cir] Curate: Organize, refine, and maintain agency acquisition 
data resources with sufficient quality to meet agency and 
stakeholder needs
 Share--Access: Identify and develop multiple acquisition 
data access methods for agency staff and stakeholders
 Use--
    [cir] Analyze: Optimize the ability of staff and stakeholders to 
use agency acquisition data to generate insights
    [cir] Visualize: Present acquisition data insights for 
consumption by all users, stakeholders, and leaders for their 
intended needs
    [cir] Disseminate: Provide multiple avenues for release of 
acquisition data and insights
 Improve--Implement & Assess: Maximize the use of 
acquisition data for decision-making, accountability, and the public 
good by continuously improving the acquisition data process

Vision for Data Integrity

    The governance model identified in Appendix C supports efforts 
to identify, develop, and implement common business processes, data, 
and standards that support the federated model. This includes 
assessing existing standards instituted at an agency level for their 
potential application to the broader federal acquisition community. 
The governance groups also regularly assess and provides 
recommendations for how shared tools or capabilities in the Hi-Def 
or regulatory-based environment (e.g., the IAE) are meeting agency 
operational needs. The future Hi-Def environment will make possible 
a seamless flow of data from authoritative sources to the point of 
need. Data will only need to be entered once and will be available 
for use at any point in the acquisition lifecycle consistent with 
applicable regulations and policies through implemented machine-
readable data, in an open format, and available to computer 
applications to promote interoperability and system integration such 
as APIs.
    As new regulations or policies are developed, new data may be 
required; ongoing processes to review how best to collect this data 
from new or existing sources should be put into place, including a 
review of the quality, security, and integrity of those data. 
Business process re-engineering may be required to avoid manual or 
redundant processes, improve quality, and make data available at the 
time of need. Reporting requirements may need to be adjusted or 
integrated as a result of increased data availability. Agencies must 
strategically plan how various Federal-wide and agency specific 
efforts can be harmonized and leveraged to avoid duplication of 
effort, costs, and diminished data quality resulting from multiple 
instances of similar data across an agency.

PCE Responsibilities--Quality Technology and Data

    The processes and measures for assessing the uniform 
implementation of standards that is core to this vision will be the 
responsibility of the PCE (Appendix C). The common technology tools 
supporting Federal acquisition and the resulting procurement data 
will be driven by the PCE. The PCE will ensure that applicable 
regulations and policy are reflected in any technologies, processes, 
systems, and data to reduce agency burden and ensure quality data 
are available for downstream use.

Agency Responsibilities--Quality Technology and Data

    In the distributed procurement information technology 
environment, agencies have responsibilities to generate data 
consistent with procurement policy, standards for business 
processes, data, and

[[Page 80345]]

interoperability. Federal agencies in the Executive Branch must 
manage data consistent with statutes, regulations, and OMB policies. 
Agency CAOs, Senior Procurement Executives (SPEs), CDOs, Chief 
Financial Officers (CFOs), CIOs, and Budget Officers must 
collaborate to:
     Assess the feasibility of building and/or maintain 
appropriate and secure APIs to permit sharing and interoperability 
of procurement data and are developed through the working group and 
after the initial data assessment period;
     Promote best business practices of appropriate data 
hygiene, data principles, and data standards as developed by the 
PCE;
     Further innovation and efficiency in the Federal 
acquisition system by leading or actively participating in the 
development and implementation of emerging technology tools that 
align with policy; and,
     Actively develop professionals with skills in Federal 
Acquisition Regulations (FAR)-based data analytics for decision-
making.

Data Security and Quality Control

    Building security and fraud protection aspects into the 
management of procurement data will ensure usable data. This is a 
responsibility across the Federal enterprise and requires due 
diligence at all levels. Hi-Def and IAE data will only be useful if 
it is accurate, timely, definable, and available in real-time. The 
maintenance of an Acquisition Data & Process Dictionary (ADD),\9\ 
managed by the PCE, will resolve discrepancies among models and 
support uniform implementation of policy-based terminology. Such a 
dictionary will provide consistency across the Federal Government 
and identify and fill in gaps if existing data models do not capture 
the full acquisition lifecycle. The dictionary helps to build a 
foundation against which agencies can map existing tools and 
processes throughout the acquisition lifecycle. Integrating the 
standards and processes identified by the PCE, for example those 
defined in the FIBF, provides a common starting place for all 
agencies. Common business process and data definitions can be made 
accessible and transparent for many users in accordance with PCE 
identified guidance.
    Validation and Verification (V&V) of the acquisition data is 
paramount to quality control. V&V aims to ensure both completeness 
and accuracy of select data. The PCE will update the existing 
parameters and methods for annual V&V every 5 years to align with 
policy, regulatory and agency needs. The most recent memoranda, 
stored: ``Improving Federal Procurement Data Quality--Guidance for 
Annual Verification and Validation,'' \10\ (May 2011), and 
``Improving Small Business Procurement Data--Quality and Process,'' 
\11\ (November 2011). This cadence of review and updates permits the 
longitudinal analysis and continuous improvement.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \10\ Improving Federal Procurement Data Quality--Guidance for 
Verification and Validation.
    \11\ Improving Small Business Procurement Data--Quality and 
Process.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Appendix E. Annual Agency Planning Requirements

    Strategic and operational planning by agencies, including budget 
planning, is essential to an interoperable environment where data 
are shared and available at the point of need. These activities 
provide opportunities for addressing gaps identified through 
assessments and innovation in business processes and technology, 
including lessons learned from pilots or shared activities. As such, 
agencies must include appropriate analyses of these considerations 
in agency annual strategic plans, as required by OMB Circular A-11 
and any supplementary direction from OMB during the budget process. 
These plans will be reviewed by OMB to inform and shape actions 
necessary to support Hi-Def implementation and maintenance.
    Planning and Budgeting--To assist agencies in ensuring 
acquisition data interoperability is appropriately considered in 
agency-wide strategic planning and budgeting, each year, OFPP will 
provide a template with questions and structure for compiling the 
strategic plan. The template will include sections for responding to 
questions related to acquisition data resources and infrastructure, 
government-wide priorities established by OMB and governance groups, 
and agency-specific priorities. The yearly priority areas will be 
posted with an updated template on the Acquisition.gov Data 
Initiatives Page.\12\ The acquisition data resources and 
infrastructure questions will generally address the following areas, 
though may include other areas of interest as appropriate:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \12\ https://www.acquisition.gov/datainitiatives.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    a. Appropriate resource management activities necessary to 
support innovative practices and alignment of data with statutes, 
regulations, policies, and standards to support interoperability. 
The identification of activities should be accomplished in 
coordination with the appropriate agency leaders directing the 
acquisition, information, security, data, finance, and human capital 
functions.
    b. Solutions identified by the agency workforce as the greatest 
opportunity for improving processes and leveraging technology to 
support innovation and reduce burden. Such ideas support agency 
operations and mission success by addressing issues, challenges, and 
best practices identified by those most impacted on a daily basis by 
access (or lack thereof) to data and information.
    c. Details on how agencies are assuring any new technologies at 
the agency level are aligned with policy and regulations, and how 
agency technology supports the interoperability of data in the 
federated model established through this Circular.
    d. Recommendations on any business processes that should be re-
engineered to support innovation or just-in-time access to quality 
information or data. Re-imagining the process before applying 
emerging technologies or shared tools can lead to a more impactful 
change; this can be done by seeking workforce input, taking maximum 
advantage of FAR flexibilities, leveraging data and information 
technology as strategic assets, consulting with governance on how 
data is supposed to be used and displayed, and driving changes to 
agency-specific requirements.
    Initial projects. Initial projects will focus on electronic 
invoicing (e.g., Invoice Processing Platform (IPP) and G-Invoicing), 
and the collection of transactional pricing data. Additional and 
future Hi-Def projects to implement this policy will generally be 
identified through an annual strategic planning process, as 
described in section 3 of the Circular and this Appendix.

[FR Doc. 2023-25370 Filed 11-16-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3110-01-P