Modular Contracting & Adaptive Scope Strategies in OAS

Government acquisition programs increasingly face volatile requirements, compressed timelines, and rapid technology cycles that strain traditional, monolithic contracting models. Rigid scopes and long-duration contracts often delay delivery and amplify risk. nGAP Inc.’s Open Acquisition System (OAS) addresses these challenges by operationalizing modular contracting and adaptive scope strategies directly within the acquisition lifecycle.

Modular Contracting by Design

OAS enables large programs to be decomposed into smaller, independently executable contract modules, each aligned to a discrete capability, deliverable, or performance objective. These modules can be competed, awarded, and managed separately while remaining integrated within a coherent program architecture.

This structure:

• Reduces vendor lock-in and lowers barriers to entry

• Enables incremental capability delivery

• Limits risk exposure by isolating technical and performance failures to individual modules

  
  

By shifting from single, all-encompassing awards to modular execution, OAS allows programs to evolve without restarting or re-baselining entire acquisitions.

Adaptive Scope as a Controlled Variable

Rather than treating scope changes as exceptions, OAS treats scope as a managed and versioned program attribute. Adaptive scope strategies allow requirements to expand, contract, or redirect in response to mission needs, funding changes, or technical discovery—without destabilizing the acquisition.

OAS provides:

• Versioned scope baselines tied to cost, schedule, and performance

• Real-time visibility into the impact of scope changes

• Controlled adjustment mechanisms that preserve traceability and accountability

  
  

This approach replaces rigid planning assumptions with continuous, auditable adaptation.

Risk, Accountability, and Speed

Modular contracting and adaptive scope work in tandem to improve risk containment and execution discipline. Smaller contract units reduce the impact of underperformance, while adaptive scope controls prevent uncontrolled requirement growth.

OAS reinforces accountability by:

• Tying performance metrics and payments to module-level outcomes

• Enabling rapid recompete or reallocation of failing modules

• Maintaining continuous auditability across scope, funding, and execution decisions

  
  

The result is faster delivery without sacrificing governance.

Regulatory and Policy Alignment

OAS is designed to align with existing federal acquisition statutes, the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), and Department of War acquisition policy—without requiring new authorities or governance constructs.

Key alignments include:

• FAR Part 7 (Acquisition Planning): Modular planning within an integrated program strategy

• FAR Part 10 (Market Research): Targeted research by capability module

• FAR Parts 12 & 15: Iterative competition and best-value decision-making

• FAR Subpart 39.1: Modular contracting principles extended beyond IT

  
  

Adaptive scope controls further support PPBE traceability, Congressional oversight, and audit readiness through a unified, immutable acquisition record.

A More Resilient Acquisition Model

OAS does not bypass policy; it translates statutory and regulatory intent into executable system logic. By embedding modularity and adaptability into acquisition execution, OAS enables programs to operate at the speed of modern missions while preserving compliance, transparency, and control.

In doing so, OAS replaces acquisition rigidity with resilience—allowing government programs to deliver capability continuously, deliberately, and with reduced risk.