Glossary / Acquisition
Milestone Decision AuthorityMDA
The MDA is the individual with formal authority to approve entry into, and transition between, the phases of the DoW acquisition lifecycle (Materiel Solution Analysis, Technology Maturation & Risk Reduction, Engineering & Manufacturing Development, Production & Deployment, Operations & Support). The MDA's seniority scales with ACAT level: the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition & Sustainment for ACAT ID, service acquisition executives for ACAT IC and II, and a PEO for ACAT III.
Why it matters to your pipeline
Every major gate review, every schedule slip, every scope change ultimately goes through the MDA. Knowing who that is, and what they care about, shapes proposal framing.
When this term shows up in an opening GovSmith finds for you, your vCM explains what it means for that pursuit and does whatever it calls for. You decide; we do the work.
Example
For an ACAT IC program, the service acquisition executive (in the Air Force, the Assistant Secretary for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics) serves as the MDA.
Find out what applies to you
Some terms will matter to your business right away and some won’t for years. A vCM can tell you which are which.