Bridging the Gap with Innovation, Acquisition, and Tech in Government Modernization

/ Digital Transformation, Prodacity 2025
Bridging the Gap with Innovation, Acquisition, and Tech in Government Modernization

In the world of government technology, innovation isn’t just about building new solutions—it’s about ensuring those solutions actually work for the end users. At Prodacity, Paul Contoveros and Jeremy Homan tackled the natural tensions between acquisition, operations, and technology, and how the government can move beyond bureaucracy to deliver meaningful outcomes.

Making Technology Understandable and Impactful

One of the core messages from the discussion was that technology must be simple enough for end users to understand. No matter how advanced a system is, if operators can’t use it effectively, it’s failing its mission.

This is particularly relevant in high-stakes environments like United States Space Force operations, where teams manage everything from satellite communications to missile warning systems. As government technology evolves, the challenge isn’t just modernization—it’s ensuring that modernization efforts actually address real pain points and don’t introduce unnecessary complexity.

From Bottlenecks to Business Cases: Optimizing Prioritization

A key takeaway from the session was that government agencies often juggle more priorities than they have resources for. In a system where funding is finite, prioritization is critical.

  • Stop playing whack-a-mole. Instead of constantly reacting to problems, teams need a structured mechanism for identifying pain points and prioritizing fixes.
  • Not everything should be optimized. If a process shouldn’t exist in the first place, don’t waste time trying to make it more efficient—eliminate it.
  • Business cases matter. A formalized process for capturing pain points and justifying funding is finally becoming standard practice, enabling better decision-making.

Industry Perspective:

  • Government agencies are finally adopting structured prioritization models, reducing waste and ensuring resources go toward solving meaningful problems. Sounds like a DOGE initiative. 
  • The shift toward “mission engineering” over traditional systems engineering means that technology decisions are being evaluated based on real-world operator needs rather than abstract technical requirements.

The Friction Between Acquisition and Innovation

Homan and Contoveros acknowledged that friction is inevitable between acquisition teams, operators, and technologists—but it’s also essential for progress.

  • Acquisition teams need to see clear outcomes. Traditional acquisition focuses on getting money, securing funding, and executing a predefined plan. Innovation, on the other hand, requires experimentation and flexibility—which doesn’t always fit neatly into procurement timelines.
  • The disconnect between funding cycles and real-world needs is a challenge. Homan highlighted that more requirements exist than funding can cover, and demonstrating real operator impact is key to securing resources.
  • Government funding shouldn’t be a one-time push. Instead of projects stalling due to lack of continuous funding, there should be an “innovation sustainment” pot—proving value while ensuring work doesn’t stop due to funding gaps.

Analyst Takeaway: Rethinking Government Tech Funding and Prioritization

The discussion underscored a critical shift happening in govtech—modernization efforts are moving toward measurable impact over theoretical benefits.

Key Implications:

  • Tech solutions must align with end-user needs—functionality means nothing if operators can’t easily use it.
  • Government agencies are shifting toward structured prioritization models—business cases and impact assessments are now required for funding.
  • Sustained funding models are needed—without ongoing resources, promising innovations risk getting lost in bureaucratic cycles.

Final Thought

Government digital transformation isn’t just about new technology—it’s about breaking down silos and aligning acquisition, operations, and tech development. The challenge now is ensuring that funding, prioritization, and decision-making processes keep pace with the urgent needs of those on the ground.

Embrace change. The future of govtech isn’t about doing more with less—it’s about making smarter, mission-driven decisions with the resources available.

Authors

  • Bringing more than a decade of varying experience crossing multiple sectors such as legal, financial, and tech, Sam Weston is an accomplished professional that excels in ensuring success across various industries. Currently, Sam serves as an Industry Analyst at Efficiently Connected where she collaborates closely in the areas of application modernization, DevOps, storage, and infrastructure. With a keen eye for research, Sam produces valuable insights and custom content to support strategic initiatives and enhance market understanding. Rooted in the fields of tech, law, finance operations and marketing, Sam provides a unique viewpoint to her position, fostering innovation and delivering impactful solutions within the industry. Sam holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Management Information Systems and Business Analytics from Colorado State University and is passionate about leveraging her diverse skill set to drive growth and empower clients to succeed.

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  • Paul Nashawaty, Practice Leader and Lead Principal Analyst, specializes in application modernization across build, release and operations. With a wealth of expertise in digital transformation initiatives spanning front-end and back-end systems, he also possesses comprehensive knowledge of the underlying infrastructure ecosystem crucial for supporting modernization endeavors. With over 25 years of experience, Paul has a proven track record in implementing effective go-to-market strategies, including the identification of new market channels, the growth and cultivation of partner ecosystems, and the successful execution of strategic plans resulting in positive business outcomes for his clients.

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