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CISA New Tool Solves Your Software Supply Chain Problem

By William OGOU
CISA Software Supply Chain SBOM Procurement Cybersecurity Secure by Design Vendor Management
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For years, security leaders have struggled to secure the software supply chain, often without the support we need. We’re told to “shift left,” demand more from vendors, and push for “Secure-by-Design” software. We know what to ask for—SBOMs, secure development practices, and clear disclosure policies—but our security goals rarely make it into the one place that truly matters: the procurement contract.

The issue? A disconnect between teams. Security talks in CVEs and risk scores, while procurement and legal focus on SLAs and contract terms. This leads to vague, unenforceable language like “vendor must follow industry best practices,” which offers little real protection. This communication gap is a major source of risk in software acquisition.

Now, that’s starting to change. CISA has released a free web-based tool called The Guide for Software Acquisition. It helps translate security requirements into clear, enforceable contract language. For CISOs, it’s not just another resource—it’s a game-changer for how we buy secure software.

Let’s be honest about what our current software acquisition process often looks like:

  • The security team provides a long list of requirements to the procurement team.
  • The procurement and legal teams, unfamiliar with the technical nuances of SBOMs or secure development frameworks, translate these into generic, watered-down clauses.
  • The vendor’s legal team pushes back, and without a clear, authoritative standard to point to, our security requirements are often the first to be conceded in negotiations.

We are left with contractual promises of security, but no verifiable proof. This is how organizations end up with software riddled with vulnerabilities, opaque dependencies, and no contractual leverage when something inevitably goes wrong.

Enter CISA’s “Guide for Software Acquisition”: A CISO’s Secret Weapon

CISA’s new tool is a direct solution to this problem. It’s an interactive, web-based guide that walks you through the entire software acquisition lifecycle, from preparing the initial solicitation to managing the contract post-award.

Its genius lies in its core function: for each critical security step, it provides standardized, actionable procurement language that you can copy directly into your RFPs and contracts. It also provides the justification for each clause, giving your legal and procurement teams the context they need to understand why it’s important and to defend it during negotiations.

A Practical Walkthrough: From Vague Request to Ironclad Requirement

Let’s look at a real-world example: requesting an SBOM.

Your security team tells procurement, “We need an SBOM from the vendor.” The contract clause might end up as: “The vendor will provide a Software Bill of Materials upon request.”

This is a weak clause. What format should it be in? How often should it be updated? What constitutes a complete SBOM? It’s an open invitation for a vendor to provide a useless, out-of-date spreadsheet.

The CISA Blueprint:

CISA-SOFTWARE-ACQUISITION-TOOL

With CISA’s tool, you navigate to the “Requesting a Software Bill of Materials (SBOM)” section. It provides you with this precise, actionable language to insert into your solicitation:

“The acquirer requires that a machine-readable Software Bill of Materials (SBOM) be provided for each software product, in one of the following standard formats: SPDX or CycloneDX. The SBOM must contain, at a minimum, the following fields for each software component: Supplier Name, Component Name, Version String, Component Hash, Unique Identifier, and Dependency Relationship.”

This is a night-and-day difference. It’s specific, it references industry standards (SPDX, CycloneDX), and it leaves no room for ambiguity. The tool also provides the crucial “justification” you can share internally: “An SBOM provides the foundational data needed to track software components, manage vulnerabilities, and identify license risks throughout the software lifecycle.”

The tool provides this level of detail for every critical aspect of secure software acquisition, including:

  • Requesting Secure Software Development Attestation: Getting the vendor to formally attest that they adhere to secure development practices (like those outlined in NIST SSDF).
  • Vulnerability Disclosure and Management: Contractually obligating the vendor to maintain a public vulnerability disclosure policy and notify you of any relevant vulnerabilities.
  • Ensuring Evidence of Security Controls: Requiring vendors to provide proof that they have conducted security audits or penetration tests.

How to Deploy This Tool in Your Organization

This tool is a powerful asset, but it only creates value if it’s operationalized.

  • Bridge the Internal Silos (Immediately): Your first step is to schedule a meeting with your Head of Procurement and your General Counsel. This is not a security-only initiative. Present this tool as a solution that makes their jobs easier by providing a standardized, authoritative source for security language, reducing negotiation friction and organizational risk.
  • Integrate into the Procurement Lifecycle: Work with your procurement team to embed the use of this tool into your standard acquisition process. It should become the default starting point for the security requirements section of any new software RFP.
  • Start with a Pilot Project: Choose a new, critical software acquisition as a pilot. Use the CISA tool to generate the security language for the contract. This will allow you to refine your internal processes and demonstrate the value of the tool with a real-world win.
  • Empower Your Vendors: This isn’t about punishing vendors; it’s about creating clarity. By providing clear, standardized, and transparent security requirements upfront, you make it easier for mature, security-conscious vendors to do business with you. You are leveling the playing field and raising the bar for the entire industry.

Conclusion: No More Excuses

The era of accepting vague promises of “best practice” security from our software vendors is over. With the release of the “Guide for Software Acquisition” CISA has provided a powerful, free, and easy-to-use tool that eliminates the excuses. We now have a direct, actionable blueprint for embedding robust, verifiable security requirements into the very heart of our software supply chain: the procurement contract.

It’s time to stop chasing developers after the fact and start holding our vendors accountable from the very beginning. This tool is your new standard. Use it.

To further enhance your cloud security and implement Zero Trust, contact me on LinkedIn Profile or [email protected].

CISA Software Procurement Tool FAQ

  • What is the official name of the tool? The tool is part of CISA’s “The Guide for Software Acquisition,” a comprehensive guide to embedding security throughout the procurement lifecycle.
  • Is this tool mandatory for private companies? No, it is not mandatory for the private sector. However, it represents an authoritative set of best practices directly from the U.S. government’s lead cybersecurity agency and is a powerful tool for improving any organization’s security posture.
  • Who in my organization should use this tool? It’s designed to be a collaborative tool used by security teams, procurement officers, legal teams, and IT managers. Security teams can identify the necessary controls, while procurement and legal can use the provided language to build strong contracts.
  • Does this tool replace the need for a legal review of my contracts? Absolutely not. It is designed to provide standardized input into the legal process. Your legal team must still review all contract language to ensure it is appropriate for your specific needs, jurisdiction, and relationship with the vendor.
  • What is an SBOM, and why is it so important? An SBOM (Software Bill of Materials) is a formal, machine-readable inventory of all the software components and libraries included in a piece of software. It is critical for modern security because it allows you to quickly identify if your organization is at risk when a new vulnerability is discovered in an open-source component (like the Log4j crisis).

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