DLA acquisition policy summit shapes guidance, forges alliances

The Defense Logistics Agency used its 2026 Fiscal Acquisition Policy Summit to preview sweeping updates to procurement and acquisition, highlighting AI-enabled contracting, pricing modernization, and a sharper focus on supply chain risk. The two-day meeting, held July 22-23 at the McNamara Headquarters Complex, brought the acquisition workforce together in person and online for regulatory updates, executive orders, DLA priorities and relationship-building, according to Amarilis Cartagena, chief of DLA Acquisition’s Policy and Pricing division.

Sessions emphasized organizational agility and supply chain resiliency, modernization of procurement processes and pricing, the Revolutionary Federal Acquisition Regulation Overhaul, and sustaining the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification.

Opening speaker Michelle Miller, director for contract policy in the Office of the Principal Director for Defense Pricing, Contracting and Acquisition Policy within the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment, outlined steps to designate a lead for using artificial intelligence in contracting and to expand structured requirements aimed at faster awards and commercial offerings. She said AI could support source selection, the acquisition transformation strategy, training development and updates to market research, and pointed to opportunities to streamline the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement and make source selection easier to follow. “My main focus is to create guides, tools and templates for the workforce to use to complete tasks. This is the best practice for translating the acquisition transformation strategy,” Miller said, adding that training for these resources would go hand in hand.

On pricing and cost, Peter Guinto, senior technical advisor for DPCAP, described the role of deal teams in accelerating delivery to warfighters, building organizational structures for business deals that enhance production capacity and overhauling contract execution. He tied the approach to lines of effort that include new missions in munitions and weapons support, clearer demand signals, direct-to-supplier buying and the wartime production unit.

DLA Acquisition Director Matthew Beebe said the agency’s contracting techniques will increasingly center on supply chain management and risk. He urged attendees to review the acquisition transformation strategy and the DLA acquisition roadmap, which shifts procedures toward a risk-based model aligned with the organization’s broader mission. He also underscored the need to move beyond transactional engagements and cultivate continuous dialogue.

Deputy Director George Atwood emphasized collaboration across major subordinate command acquisition activities and headquarters policy, noting that procurement transformation driven by advances in information technology will require tightly synchronized teams.

Cartagena said her main takeaway echoed Beebe and Atwood: the primacy of relationship-building inside and outside the agency. She described the summit as a venue to strengthen peer connections, share lessons learned and receive guidance on DLA’s strategic initiatives.