March 2, 2026Federal acquisition is experiencing another wave of reform, aiming to boost speed, tap into commercial solutions, modernize regulations, and leverage digital tools. Both government agencies and industry want to remove obstacles and operate more efficiently. Yet one obstacle stands untouched by any rewrite of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR): requirements development. This critical step happens before actual contracting, long before solicitations are published or proposals are submitted. When requirements are poorly defined, speeding up procurement only accelerates poor outcomes. While factors like funding, contract choices, and acquisition strategies play important roles, none can make up for unclear goals, ill-defined scopes, or flawed requirements. Many supposed “acquisition process” problems actually arise from upstream design errors.