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Articles 1 - 30 of 83
Full-Text Articles in Law
Engineering Change Orders In Space Programs: "What Are The Odds?", Aaron Noel D. Santos
Engineering Change Orders In Space Programs: "What Are The Odds?", Aaron Noel D. Santos
Theses and Dissertations
There has been little empirical evidence and vague official guidance published to inform the Department of Defense (DOD) acquisition community on the cost growth effects of engineering change orders (ECO) on their programs. The information is especially scarce when it comes to understanding those effects in space programs. Utilizing previous research to our advantage, we explore factors that may explain ECO-related cost growth including program size, acquisition phase, the number of modifications to a contract, contract type, and specific space commodity assets. Using non-parametric analysis, contingency tables, and odds ratio tests, these were found to be significant factors (except acquisition …
Salvaging Value From The Measure Of "Requirements Volatility" In The Dod's Software Resources Data Report (Srdr), Robert T. Walker
Salvaging Value From The Measure Of "Requirements Volatility" In The Dod's Software Resources Data Report (Srdr), Robert T. Walker
Theses and Dissertations
The DoD and the software development industry as a whole has long dwelt over the idea of requirements volatility (RV). The DoD has toiled with this concept so much so that its guidance was modified four times over a 13 year span. In these changes, its policy completely transformed the what, how, and when regarding RV information. As a result, the volatility data it has received is quite varied and seemingly useless for anything more than anecdotal analysis. This study takes several approaches to salvage value from this data. It begins with a survey of the uncertain concept of volatility, …
Economic Moat: A Line Of Defense For The Defense Industry, Karina M. Fernando
Economic Moat: A Line Of Defense For The Defense Industry, Karina M. Fernando
Theses and Dissertations
Defense contractor financial performance is traditionally measured using accounting profit. In academic literature, accounting profit has been proxied through different applications of accounting rates of return. However, the use of these rates pose certain limitations. First, accounting rates of return have been applied inconsistently. Next, academic research has not typically assessed accounting returns against a firms opportunity costs. As a result, there is a literature gap in defense research that assesses whether defense contractors earn sustainable returns beyond the cost to produce those returns.
An Empirical Analysis Of Dod Construction Task Order Performance, Adam B. Teston, Tyler S. Stout
An Empirical Analysis Of Dod Construction Task Order Performance, Adam B. Teston, Tyler S. Stout
Theses and Dissertations
Cost and schedule overrun plague over 50 of all construction projects, engendering diminished available funding that leads to deferred maintenance and impaired award ability for needed projects. Though existing research attempts to identify overruns sources, the results are inconclusive and frequently differ. Accordingly, this research reviews DoD construction contract data from the past ten years to identify the contract attributes of 79,894 projects that correlate with superior performance for use in future project execution. This research starts with creating a database that houses the largest single source of construction contract information. The research then evaluates the data to determine if …
A Comparison Of Sbir Investment Methods: Afwerx Vs Legacy, Evan A. Gist
A Comparison Of Sbir Investment Methods: Afwerx Vs Legacy, Evan A. Gist
Theses and Dissertations
The AFWERX Open Topic (AOT) program uses funding from the United States Air Force’s (USAF) Small Business Innovation and Research (SBIR) budget to adapt commercial technology to USAF needs. The AOT approach to small business investment is markedly different from that of legacy SBIR investment methods. This research is a comparison of processes and outcomes for AOT and legacy SBIR. The first axis of comparison is on commercialization rates. Applying a legacy definition of commercialization on a sample of AOT contracts, we found AOT’s commercialization to be 37% (compared to an 8.8% for legacy SBIR). We caveat this finding by …
An Analysis Of Changing The Federal Age Requirement For A Commercial Driver’S License, Matthew L. Mangen
An Analysis Of Changing The Federal Age Requirement For A Commercial Driver’S License, Matthew L. Mangen
Theses and Dissertations
The United States trucking industry has been struggling with a driver shortage for decades (Mittal et al., 2018).Trucks are one of the most important modes of transportation in getting domestic freight from one point to another. The current shortage is expected to continue to grow at an alarming rate if nothing is done to change it (American Trucking Associations, 2017). Having a shortage of drivers will increase transportation costs and lead to delayed shipments. There has been a push to change the public policy to lower the age requirement for a Commercial Driver’s License to 18. This research explores how …
An Analysis Of The Estimate At Complete For Department Of Defense Contracts, Deborah B. Kim
An Analysis Of The Estimate At Complete For Department Of Defense Contracts, Deborah B. Kim
Theses and Dissertations
When contractors provide timely and reliable information on the status of a contract, both contractors and government program offices can provide an accurate estimate of a contract’s completion costs. This research shows that the cumulative cost performance indices provided by contractors and program offices are high and less accurate than those of previous years and/or that a significant amount of ACWP is being documented in the final portion of a contract. The high performance indices resulted in EACs that were low-balled during the majority of a contract’s life which shows a need to improve the use of EVM metrics for …
An Analysis Of Major Acquisition Reforms Through Text Mining And Grounded Theory Design, Amanda L. Mcgowin
An Analysis Of Major Acquisition Reforms Through Text Mining And Grounded Theory Design, Amanda L. Mcgowin
Theses and Dissertations
Cost growth is an established phenomenon within Defense Acquisition that the US Government has attempted to abolish for decades through seemingly endless cycles of reform. Dozens of experts and senior leaders within the acquisition community have published their notions on the reasons for cost growth, nevertheless, legislation has yet to eradicate this presumed conundrum. For this reason, this research is aimed at identifying existing trends within past major Defense Acquisition Reform legislation, as well as in a compendium of views from leaders within the Defense Acquisition community on the efficacy of acquisition reform, to determine the possible disconnect. To accomplish …
Application Of Relational Contracting Methods To Federal Construction Projects, Travis R. Johnson
Application Of Relational Contracting Methods To Federal Construction Projects, Travis R. Johnson
Theses and Dissertations
Relational contracting is a method designed to improve relationships between contracted parties. The federal construction sector was a leader in the development and implementation of an early form of relational contracting known as partnering. Since then, alliancing has emerged as the new evolution of relational contracts. While it provides many potential benefits to contracting parties, alliancing has not yet been utilized in federal construction procurement, which is subject to stringent regulations. A commercially available standard form alliancing contract was selected for analysis against the Federal Acquisition Regulation. Key practices that characterize the alliancing method were identified. Utilizing a panel of …
Using Earned Value Data To Detect Potential Problems In Acquisition Contracts, C. Grant Keaton
Using Earned Value Data To Detect Potential Problems In Acquisition Contracts, C. Grant Keaton
Theses and Dissertations
Government contractors report earned value (EV) information to government agencies in monthly Contract Performance Reports (CPR). Though major differences may exist in the data between subsequent CPRs, we know of no government effort to detect these occurrences. The identification of major changes may locate and isolate problems and thus prevent million and billion dollar cost and schedule overruns. In this study, we develop an approach to identify changes in the Cost Performance Index (CPI) and the Schedule Performance Index (SPI) that may indicate problems with contract performance. We find the detection algorithm indentifies changes in the CPI and the SPI …
Best Practices In Government Acquisition: A Test Of The Government Accountability Office’S Knowledge-Based Acquisition Theory, Dana C. Wyman Ii
Best Practices In Government Acquisition: A Test Of The Government Accountability Office’S Knowledge-Based Acquisition Theory, Dana C. Wyman Ii
Theses and Dissertations
The U.S. Government has looked for effective ways of reducing acquisition cost and schedule overruns for decades. The task of isolating the root cause of these overruns has been difficult. Consequently, it has been difficult for the Government to create effective policies that prevent overruns from recurring. In 1998, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) undertook this problem, and looked to successful DOD and commercial companies for solutions. They found that using mature technology, having complete product designs, and having production processes under control was critical to successfully developing new products. The GAO combined these concepts into a single acquisition practice …
An Investigation Of Knowledge Transfer And Retention In A Government Procurement Office, Garland T. Mobley
An Investigation Of Knowledge Transfer And Retention In A Government Procurement Office, Garland T. Mobley
Theses and Dissertations
There is no measure for the loss of corporate memory. Organizations build a reservoir of knowledge in its employees, and this knowledge becomes a critical ingredient in an organization’s ability to carry out its mission. Knowledgeable people are extremely valuable and once they leave, their organizationally-applied knowledge leaves with them. This study introduces specific knowledge attributes that significantly impact effective tacit and explicit knowledge transfer and retention. Under this construct the proposed investigation explores a government program office to see if replacing experienced government employees with outsourced personnel impacts corporate knowledge retention. The study concludes that a loss of corporate …
An Analysis Of Construction Contractor Performance Evaluation System, Rebecca S. Brown
An Analysis Of Construction Contractor Performance Evaluation System, Rebecca S. Brown
Theses and Dissertations
A rigorous system for rating construction contractor performance does not exist for the USAF as identified by the Air Force Civil Engineer (USAF CE), Major General Del Eulberg (Eulberg, 2007). The United States Army Corp of Engineers (USACE) uses DD Form 2626 for contractor performance evaluation and contractor selection. The objective of this research is to strengthen the USAF contractor rating system by exploring USACE‘s use of DD Form 2626. Using data from DD Form 2626, statistical analysis was conducted to determine if the measured performance sub-items reflect their respective performance elements, whether the resulting performance elements relate to the …
A Case Analysis Of Explaining The Main Factors That Contribute To Rok's Decision Making In Procurement Of Defense Articles, Se Young Kim
A Case Analysis Of Explaining The Main Factors That Contribute To Rok's Decision Making In Procurement Of Defense Articles, Se Young Kim
Theses and Dissertations
The purpose of this research was to explore the various factors that contribute to ROK’s decision making in procurement of foreign countries defense articles. South Korea is one of the largest weapon purchasers from the U.S. and needs a more self-reliant defense force that can maintain its security with its own authority under the current cease-fire situation. Thus, this study focused on identifying the main factors to consider in deciding whether to purchase a major defense weapon system from other countries. Through the interview of experts who participated in specific weapon programs, thirteen specific factors were evaluated including Interoperability, Offset …
Assessment Of The Current Cultural Awareness And Training For The Air Force Contingency Contracting Officer, Reza A. Grigorian
Assessment Of The Current Cultural Awareness And Training For The Air Force Contingency Contracting Officer, Reza A. Grigorian
Theses and Dissertations
This study examined the current cultural awareness of contracting officers and the effectiveness of cross-cultural training provided to contracting officers through the Defense Acquisition University (DAU), and their monthly training at the base level. Current training in culture is fairly limited - only 2 days of the 9 day course in contingency contracting is dedicated to cultural training. Nevertheless, a comparison of means of 38 students before and after the DAU CON 234 course showed a statistically significant increase in Cultural Intelligence (CQ) on the cognitive and behavioral dimensions, but not on the motivational dimension. In addition, more experienced contracting …
Blending The Battlefield: An Analysis Of Using Private Military Companies To Support Military Operations In Iraq, Heather L. Gallup
Blending The Battlefield: An Analysis Of Using Private Military Companies To Support Military Operations In Iraq, Heather L. Gallup
Theses and Dissertations
Over the past fifteen years, the Department of Defense has experienced an increasing trend in the outsourcing and privatization of military operations. Key factors contributing to the growth include declines in military budgets, reductions in active duty end-strength, increases in operational deployments, advancements in weapon system technology, and evolutions in the nature of warfare. However, the continued escalation of incorporating Private Military Companies (PMCs) on the battlefield creates unique challenges. The purpose of this exploratory and descriptive research is to identify utilization rates, describe the types of roles being fulfilled, and synthesize the challenges of augmenting military manpower with civilian …
A Delphi Study Of Hipaa Compliance To Battlefield Medical Evacuation, John A. Chessman
A Delphi Study Of Hipaa Compliance To Battlefield Medical Evacuation, John A. Chessman
Theses and Dissertations
The purpose of this research was to examine the impact of HIPAA compliance on the Battlefield Medical Evacuation process. Specifically, this thesis sought to answer three research questions addressing the current Battlefield Medical Evacuation process and current HIPAA considerations for each step of the process. The research questions were answered through the use of the Delphi Technique. Eight experts, representing Air Force, Army and Civilian medical communities participated in two rounds of the Delphi Technique. The research identified how HIPAA compliance is handled now and identified suggested improvements. An original model of the battlefield medical evacuation process was developed, and …
Balancing Government Risks With Contractor Incentives In Performance-Based Logistics Contracts, Christopher P. Gardner
Balancing Government Risks With Contractor Incentives In Performance-Based Logistics Contracts, Christopher P. Gardner
Theses and Dissertations
The use of Performance-Based Logistics (PBL) as a sustainment strategy for weapon systems has been mandated by the Department of Defense (DoD) and largely embraced by acquisition and contracting professionals in both government and private industry. Despite its apparent success, there is an inherent conflict that DoD implementers of PBL often face: the PBL goal of developing long-term partnerships that encourage investment from commercial partners is best achieved through lengthy, guaranteed contracts—but such contracts increase the DoD’s risk in an environment that is intended to transfer more risk to the contractor. This research examines issues associated with the type and …
An Analysis Of The Design-Build Delivery Method In Air Force Military Construction, James W. Rosner
An Analysis Of The Design-Build Delivery Method In Air Force Military Construction, James W. Rosner
Theses and Dissertations
The design-build method for construction project delivery continues to grow in both the private and public sector. Several government agencies have observed, through experience with design-build, positive results which give “anecdotal” credibility to design-build methods. The objective of this study is to compare the performance of the design-build delivery method with traditional design-bid-build approaches for Air Force (AF) military construction (MILCON). Data related to 835 (278 design-build, 557 traditional) MILCON projects were gathered from the Automated Civil Engineer System – Project Management Module (ACES-PM) for Fiscal Years 1996-2006. The design-build method had better performance for six of eight metrics with …
Characterization Patterns Of Milcon Project Contract Modifications, Tyler K. Nielsen
Characterization Patterns Of Milcon Project Contract Modifications, Tyler K. Nielsen
Theses and Dissertations
Change orders are used by project managers of construction projects to account for unexpected changes in construction projects after the contract has been finalized. This can include everything from weather events to last minute changes requested by the user. This effort analyzed data from the U.S. Air Force Military Construction (MILCON) program to find the major causes of change orders in the hopes that the associated costs may be minimized and that the insight gained may improve project management efforts. The data was analyzed using means comparison testing through the nonparametric Kruskal-Wallis test; the results were then ranked using the …
Contract Delays: The Impact Of Department Of Defense (Dod) Contractors' Wealth, Jacqueline M. Leskowich
Contract Delays: The Impact Of Department Of Defense (Dod) Contractors' Wealth, Jacqueline M. Leskowich
Theses and Dissertations
The monetary incentives used to motivate DoD contractors’ schedule performance on Acquisition Category One programs afford them the opportunity as a whole to earn billions of dollars in addition to their contract award. These incentives are paid 85-90% of the time regardless of schedule performance. While these contractors are paid to avoid delays, there is an indication the delay increases the contractor’s stock value. This research tested the theory that contract delays significantly impact the company’s stock returns. The results found both positive and negative reactions to a firm’s value. Delays caused by budget cuts tend to have a negative …
An Analysis Of The Impact Of Defense Acquisition Reforms And External Factors On Schedule Growth Of Defense Weapon Systems, Michael P. Giacomazzi Iii
An Analysis Of The Impact Of Defense Acquisition Reforms And External Factors On Schedule Growth Of Defense Weapon Systems, Michael P. Giacomazzi Iii
Theses and Dissertations
The growth in the acquisition cycle time of large defense systems from what was planned (i.e., schedule growth) creates several issues for defense acquisition managers and policy makers. These issues include increased likelihoods of cancellations, changes in requirements, and delays in the fielding of improved combat capabilities and replacements for legacy systems, which have resulted in further cost and schedule growth. As a result, Congress, the DoD, and the individual military services implemented several major reforms to address the cost and schedule growth of weapon systems. This research presents an empirical model of schedule growth to evaluate the impact of …
Internal Versus External For Small Weapons Systems, Joseph S. Elkins
Internal Versus External For Small Weapons Systems, Joseph S. Elkins
Theses and Dissertations
The acquisition method used to gain access to new technologies can heavily influence whether our war fighters have the required tools to fight increasing and constantly shifting global threats (Kessler and others, 2000). The purpose of this study was to investigate the process and results of internal laboratory development, testing and fielding of small weapons systems as compared to traditionally acquired systems which encourage customer pull and contractor development. This research provides insight into how Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) personnel choose an acquisition method, retain personnel capability, and maximize product capability. This study consolidates the opinions of subject matter …
Cost Growth In Weapons Systems: Re-Examining Rubber Baselines And Ecomonic Factors, Philip E. Ruter Ii
Cost Growth In Weapons Systems: Re-Examining Rubber Baselines And Ecomonic Factors, Philip E. Ruter Ii
Theses and Dissertations
This paper will evaluate cost overruns from a microeconomic perspective to determine their root causes. The specific variables that will be evaluated are: contract budget fluctuations, contract length, inflation, procurement budget fluctuation, research and development budget fluctuation, the technology readiness of the commodity, and industry concentration. These variables will be evaluated twice. The first evaluation will consist of a binary choice model to determine whether or not the dependent variables influence the likelihood of a cost overrun. The specific form of the evaluation will take the form of a probit regression in which an independent variable value of zero indicates …
Indentifying And Assessing Effective Mechanisms For Technology Transfer, Michael A. Romero
Indentifying And Assessing Effective Mechanisms For Technology Transfer, Michael A. Romero
Theses and Dissertations
The ability to shift knowledge and resources from federal laboratories to industrial and academic partners and vice versa is the primary reason that technology transfer (T2) exists today. Without the cooperation of federal, state, and private agencies working together to resolve today’s technology quandaries, a lot of the breakthroughs experienced today would not exist. This research was focused on uncovering which mechanisms are utilized by scientists and engineers. The research entails uncovering both official and unofficial mechanisms and ascertaining why some methods are preferred over others. It is also a secondary focus, to determine which barriers are impeding …
How Does The Political Nature Of The Defense Acquisition Process Affect Cost Growth, Nikolaos Gounatidis
How Does The Political Nature Of The Defense Acquisition Process Affect Cost Growth, Nikolaos Gounatidis
Theses and Dissertations
Many of the major programs of the DoD are experiencing cost growth. This research developed an empirical model in order to explain cost overruns. This thesis sought to discover relationships between cost overruns and factors that originate from the political nature of the defense acquisition process. The model describes how the political and legislative balances of power between the parties of the Congress, the change of the purchase habits of the DoD from production to service contracts, and the spreading of defense manufacturing capacity across the U.S are related to cost overruns. This research studied 193 programs from 1970 to …
Use And Effectiveness Of Contract Schedule Incentives In Air Force Materiel Command, Rodrick A. Koch
Use And Effectiveness Of Contract Schedule Incentives In Air Force Materiel Command, Rodrick A. Koch
Theses and Dissertations
Are contract schedule incentives utilized by our acquisition contracting workforce, and if so what are their effectiveness? This research shows there is not widespread use of these types of incentives. There is also disagreement on their perceived effectiveness. Surveying, via email, the population of contracting officers and buyers within Air Force Materiel Command yielded responses from every center and many large acquisition systems. Only 8.5% of responses showed that they use schedule incentives. These respondents claim that schedule incentives are somewhat effective, yet of the 91.5 % that have not used them, 2-to-l say they would not be effective. The …
Evaluating Alternatives For Drinking Water At Deployed Locations, Brian S. Hughes
Evaluating Alternatives For Drinking Water At Deployed Locations, Brian S. Hughes
Theses and Dissertations
Because of potential improvements to water security and cost savings, military decision makers may want to consider new means of providing potable water to Airmen in deployed locations. Drilling for water and field bottling show great potential because of the increased security and lower per unit cost when compared to bottled water from approved sources. However, the selection of the best means to supply water is a hard decision which must balance multiple objectives (e.g., security, palatability, and convenience) against limited resources (e.g., cost, airlift, trucks, and personnel). A multi-objective decision analysis model quantifies a decision-maker's values regarding the many …
The Impact Of Economic Factors And Acquisition Reforms On The Cost Of Defense Weapon Systems, James P. Smirnoff
The Impact Of Economic Factors And Acquisition Reforms On The Cost Of Defense Weapon Systems, James P. Smirnoff
Theses and Dissertations
Cost overruns in weapon system purchases have plagued the Department of Defense (DoD) throughout its history and have resulted in schedule delays and potentially reduced combat capability. This thesis created an empirical model that begins to explain those cost overruns. The model describes how changes in defense budgets, consolidation of the defense industry, acquisition reform, war, and cost estimating error are related to cost overruns. The cost performance of 186 major weapon system programs managed by the Air Force, Army, and Navy from 1970 to 2002 was described using a panel regression model. This research found that funding instability resulting …
Risk-Based Decision Model For Determining The Applicability Of An Earned Value Management System In Construction, Mark D. Workman
Risk-Based Decision Model For Determining The Applicability Of An Earned Value Management System In Construction, Mark D. Workman
Theses and Dissertations
New policy mandated by the Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics has lowered the dollar thresholds of contracts requiring earned value management (EVM). This policy directed that a "risk-based decision" be made to determine if EVM should be used on firm-fixed price contracts under $20 million. Although not previously applicable to Military Construction (MILCON) building projects or other Air Force Civil Engineer (CE) managed contracts, the new threshold requires that CE projects be evaluated for risk. Therefore, the focus of this research was to analyze the risk factors associated with construction contracts in an attempt to build a …