I don't think the problem in the government is ever the need for "New Tech", its normally just better application of really well understood tech, that being said for a company of similar headcount ( of which there are few to none ) the amount of tape is similar, but its different in that the government has a few specific rules like Trusted Internet Connections, and Paperwork Reduction mandates that private companies don't deal with. Also the other big difference is everything is done via a contract which brings in a few more stakeholders and often adds in a few restrictions to what can be done ( i.e. sometimes contracts say a specific technology must be used ).

If you have ever worked on a contract with a Fortune-100 company its about the same level of tape