The time it takes between the release of a final solicitation to the award of a contract—procurement acquisition lead time, or PALT—rose 72% in five years, according to Bloomberg Government analysis. Average PALT expanded from 43 to 74 days among the 24 Chief Financial Officer agencies from fiscal year 2016 to fiscal year 2020. CFO agencies account for 99% of annual federal contract spending.
Agencies are challenged to squeeze solicitations into a narrow procurement window that opens late in the year after Congress passes a budget and can start slowing down months before the fiscal year ends the following September. ...