RFP Patterns and Techniques for Successful Agile Contracting
• SEI Report
Publisher
Software Engineering Institute
CMU/SEI Report Number
CMU/SEI-2016-SR-025Topic or Tag
Abstract
Increasing budget constraints and emphasis on fielding capability faster have led the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and other federal entities to pursue the benefits of Agile software development—reduced cycle times, flexibility to adapt to changing conditions and user needs— that software development practitioners have achieved in the commercial market.
This report is written by the National Defense Industrial Association’s System Engineering Agile Working Group to provide information on request-for-proposal (RFP) patterns and techniques for successful Agile contracting that can and have been used for contracts seeking to employ Agile methods. This report is intended to support the writers of RFPs in bringing Agile concepts into programs at the earliest possible time, providing examples of the kinds of language that will affect the foundations of contracts on which programs rely.
Part of a Collection
Learning about Agile in Government Settings
Cite This SEI Report
Lapham, M., Rosser, L., Martin, S., Friend, T., Capell, P., Korzec, K., Howard, G., Ryan, M., & Norton, J. (2016, December 2). RFP Patterns and Techniques for Successful Agile Contracting. (SEI Report CMU/SEI-2016-SR-025). Retrieved September 12, 2026, from https://www.sei.cmu.edu/library/rfp-patterns-and-techniques-for-successful-agile-contracting/.
@techreport{lapham_2016,
author={Lapham, Mary Ann and Rosser, Larri and Martin, Steven and Friend, Thomas and Capell, Peter and Korzec, Keith and Howard, Greg and Ryan, Michael and Norton, John},
title={RFP Patterns and Techniques for Successful Agile Contracting},
month={Dec},
year={2016},
number={{CMU/SEI-2016-SR-025},
institution={Software Engineering Institute, Carnegie Mellon University},
url={https://www.sei.cmu.edu/library/rfp-patterns-and-techniques-for-successful-agile-contracting/},
note={Accessed: 2026-Sep-12}
}
Lapham, Mary Ann, Larri Rosser, Steven Martin, Thomas Friend, Peter Capell, Keith Korzec, Greg Howard, Michael Ryan, and John Norton. "RFP Patterns and Techniques for Successful Agile Contracting." (CMU/SEI-2016-SR-025). Software Engineering Institute, Carnegie Mellon University. Software Engineering Institute, December 2, 2016. https://www.sei.cmu.edu/library/rfp-patterns-and-techniques-for-successful-agile-contracting/.
M. Lapham, L. Rosser, S. Martin, T. Friend, P. Capell, K. Korzec, G. Howard, M. Ryan, and J. Norton, "RFP Patterns and Techniques for Successful Agile Contracting," Software Engineering Institute, Carnegie Mellon University. Software Engineering Institute, SEI Report CMU/SEI-2016-SR-025, 2-Dec-2016 [Online]. Available: https://www.sei.cmu.edu/library/rfp-patterns-and-techniques-for-successful-agile-contracting/. [Accessed: 12-Sep-2026].
Lapham, Mary Ann, Larri Rosser, Steven Martin, Thomas Friend, Peter Capell, Keith Korzec, Greg Howard, Michael Ryan, and John Norton. "RFP Patterns and Techniques for Successful Agile Contracting." (SEI Report CMU/SEI-2016-SR-025). Software Engineering Institute, Carnegie Mellon University, Software Engineering Institute, 2 Dec. 2016. https://www.sei.cmu.edu/library/rfp-patterns-and-techniques-for-successful-agile-contracting/. Accessed 12 Sep. 2026.
Lapham, Mary Ann; Rosser, Larri; Martin, Steven; Friend, Thomas; Capell, Peter; Korzec, Keith; Howard, Greg; Ryan, Michael; & Norton, John. RFP Patterns and Techniques for Successful Agile Contracting. CMU/SEI-2016-SR-025. Software Engineering Institute. 2016. https://www.sei.cmu.edu/library/rfp-patterns-and-techniques-for-successful-agile-contracting/