EconDefense
ACQ-05 / Research, innovation and experimentation

Award follow-on production or sustainment after a successful prototype OT

Implement or expand successful prototype results through a follow-on production contract or transaction, including sustainment; a successful consortium subproject need not await all other subprojects.

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Authority / instrument · ACQ-05

Transition & scaling

Research, innovation and experimentation

Statute & instrument
Authority holder

Authorized §4022 awarding official; covered official approves follow-on awards above statutory threshold

What this does not authorize / hard limit

A noncompetitive prototype does not automatically create noncompetitive production eligibility.

Recorded executor

Warranted contracting officer and program manager

Continue to actor →

Recorded executing role; this record-specific route is not an additional institutional office.

Legal basisSources linkedLegal sources and instrument limits are recorded.
RequirementsGates recordedRead the requirements for this instrument; applicability depends on the proposed action.
Public fundingRules recordedThe record states funding rules and conditions; no program amount is attributed to this action.
Assigned rolesRoles recordedPublic sources describe institutional authority. The instrument identifies approval and execution roles; a specific signature remains transaction-dependent.
EngagementRole recordedRecorded executing role: Warranted contracting officer and program manager. Use the responsible program’s process.

Public evidence describes the institution and instrument; it is not approval of an individual transaction.

At a glance

Possible toolACQ-05 · Other transactions

Authority holder: Authorized §4022 awarding official; covered official approves follow-on awards above statutory threshold

Other transactions

Mechanism tags describe the source text; they do not expand the authority.

Availability and verification

Express statutory pathway; award-specific appropriations, available balances, delegations, implementation and approvals not independently verified.

Requirements and limits

Eligibility & prerequisites

  • Noncompetitive follow-on requires competitive selection of prototype participants and successful completion of the relevant prototype.
  • Award to participants and documentation tying production to successful result.

Limits & exclusions

  • A noncompetitive prototype does not automatically create noncompetitive production eligibility.
  • Follow-ons above $100m require covered-official findings and notice when exercised; paragraph(d) participation/cost-share tests do not reapply to production.

Funding conditions

  • Production/sustainment funds appropriate to the deliverable; prototype dollars do not assure a funded transition.

Read the funding and execution guide

Who contributes what

Need & planning

  • Operational requirement owner; Service/component portfolio acquisition executive and program manager

Resources

  • Sponsoring Service/component appropriations manager and comptroller

Approval

  • Service/component acquisition executive and authorized contracting authority, at applicable threshold

Execution

Partners & review

  • User command
  • Counsel, fiscal, engineering, testing, logistics and security staff as applicable

Office links are editorial matches to the original role text, not verified delegations. Composite labels and unmatched actors are preserved.

Coordination pathway

User and program office agree success and adoption → budget owner provides production/sustainment funding → covered official if needed → authorized contracting/agreements officer.

Actor and execution-role sources

Legal basis

  • 10 U.S.C. §4022(f)-(h)Primary statutory text; primary GovInfo baseline and amendment audit identified in research narrative.
  • 10 U.S.C. §4022(a)(2)(C)Primary statutory text; primary GovInfo baseline and amendment audit identified in research narrative.

What this research establishes

Legal basisSources linkedLegal sources and instrument limits are recorded.
RequirementsGates recordedRead the requirements for this instrument; applicability depends on the proposed action.
Public fundingRules recordedThe record states funding rules and conditions; no program amount is attributed to this action.
Assigned rolesRoles recordedPublic sources describe institutional authority. The instrument identifies approval and execution roles; a specific signature remains transaction-dependent.
EngagementRole recordedRecorded executing role: Warranted contracting officer and program manager. Use the responsible program’s process.

Confidence: High on express authority and cited conditions; execution assignment is illustrative unless statute expressly names it.

Currentness: GovInfo 2024 Code (includes FY2025 NDAA, P.L. 118-159) read in full for cited provision; targeted FY2026 NDAA P.L. 119-60 amendment/repeal sweep. No claim of complete legislative currency through 2026-10-02; remaining 2026 delta needs counsel validation. OLRC indexed §4022 currency 2026-09-15; prototype source and success remain transaction-specific.

Review scope: Original research target October 2, 2026; no record-specific last-review date supplied. Publication is not legal-currentness certification.

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