GSA releases generative AI acquisition resource guide for federal buyers

April 29, 2024

WASHINGTON — Today, the U.S. General Services Administration released its Generative AI and Specialized Computing Infrastructure Acquisition Resource Guide. This resource, which will be updated as technologies develop, will support the federal acquisition community as it buys generative AI solutions and related specialized computing infrastructure. 

This is one of many actions announced as the Biden-Harris Administration marks the first 180 days of the Executive Order 14110 on Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence.

“This guide is a key part of our commitment to equipping the federal community to responsibly and effectively deploy generative AI technologies to benefit the American people,” said GSA Administrator Robin Carnahan. “This new guide lays out the common challenges, use cases, and other helpful information to support government as it navigates the growing AI marketplace and starts to leverage the power of AI to better deliver for the American people.”

The guide includes considerations for the responsible acquisition of generative AI and introduces questions that contracting officers should ask to make informed procurement decisions. Additional topics in the guide include: 

• Generative AI examples in government.
• How to start defining the problem agencies are looking to solve.
• Recommendations on how to use testbeds and sandboxes before committing to large scale buys.
• Considerations for managing and protecting data, and controlling costs. 

“Generative AI technology will continue to evolve and we know that this resource guide should continue to evolve with it,” said Laura Stanton, GSA’s Office of Information Technology Category Assistant Commissioner who posted a blog today further discussing the guide for the federal community. “Contracting officers will play a critical role by working closely with program and IT staff to find, source, acquire and make secure the right generative AI solutions for agencies’ needs. This guide is a start to help the acquisition community enable their agencies to responsibly harness the power of this promising technology and better serve the American people.”

In addition to the guide, GSA’s other responsibilities in implementing the executive order include: 

• Supporting the National AI Talent Surge and serving on the AI and Technology Talent Task Force to accelerate the hiring of more tech talent in AI across government.
• Prioritizing cloud-based AI products through FedRAMP, which ensures cloud services used by the government are secure.

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About GSA: GSA provides centralized procurement and shared services for the federal government, managing a nationwide real estate portfolio of nearly 370 million rentable square feet, overseeing over $100 billion in products and services via federal contracts, and delivering technology services that serve millions of people across dozens of federal agencies. GSA’s mission is to deliver the best customer experience and value in real estate, acquisition, and technology services to the government and the American people. For more information, visit GSA.gov and follow us at @USGSA.