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Articles 31 - 60 of 143
Full-Text Articles in Government Contracts
Analyzing Cost Growth At Program Stages For Dod Aircraft, Scott J. Kozlak, Edward D. White, Jonathan D. Ritschel, Brandon Lucas, Michael J. Seibel
Analyzing Cost Growth At Program Stages For Dod Aircraft, Scott J. Kozlak, Edward D. White, Jonathan D. Ritschel, Brandon Lucas, Michael J. Seibel
Faculty Publications
This research examines Cost Growth Factors (CGF) at various program stages for 30 Department of Defense aircraft programs. From Milestone (MS) B, the authors determine CGFs at the Critical Design Review (CDR), First Flight (FF), Development Test and Evaluation End, Initial Operational Capability (IOC), and Full Operational Capability. They find development CGFs are significantly larger than procurement CGFs. Additionally, cost growth primarily occurs early in the program. At CDR, which occurs on average at the 12 percent completion point of a program, aircraft programs had already experienced on average 15 percent of their total program cost growth. The first spike …
Adaptive Acquisition: An Evolving Framework For Tailoring Engineering And Procurement Of Defense Systems, Christopher Gunderson
Adaptive Acquisition: An Evolving Framework For Tailoring Engineering And Procurement Of Defense Systems, Christopher Gunderson
AFIT Documents
The Defense Acquisition System, as documented in DoDI 5000.02, mandates that programs should not follow process models by rote. Rather, stakeholders should tailor program activities and documentation according to specific requirements, priorities, risks, and boundary conditions. Adaptive acquisition provides an evolving set of broadly applicable adaptive engineering and adaptive procurement tools and processes intended to help tailor acquisition programs.
Wartime Construction Project Outcomes As A Function Of Contract Type, Ryan M. Hoff, Gregory D. Hammond, Peter P. Feng, Edward D. White
Wartime Construction Project Outcomes As A Function Of Contract Type, Ryan M. Hoff, Gregory D. Hammond, Peter P. Feng, Edward D. White
Faculty Publications
The United States has spent more than $23 billion on construction in Afghanistan since 2001. The dynamic security situation created substantial project uncertainty, and many construction projects used cost-plus-fixed-fee contracts (CPFF) instead of the firm-fixed-price (FFP) norm. Using a dataset of 25 wartime construction projects managed by the Air Force Civil Engineer Center, the authors sought to confirm that both contract types yield project outcomes consistent with the established literature. As expected, they found CPFF contracts had greater cost and schedule growth than FFP. However, they did not find differences regarding as-built quality. Additionally, the authors sought to determine whether …
Acquisition Challenge: The Importance Of Incompressibility In Comparing Learning Curve Models, Justin R. Moore, John J. Elshaw, Adedeji B. Badiru, Jonathan D. Ritschel
Acquisition Challenge: The Importance Of Incompressibility In Comparing Learning Curve Models, Justin R. Moore, John J. Elshaw, Adedeji B. Badiru, Jonathan D. Ritschel
Faculty Publications
The Department of Defense (DoD) cost estimating methodology currently employs T. P. Wrights 75-plus-year-old learning curve formula. The goal of this research was to examine alternative learning curve models and determine if a more reliable and valid cost estimation method exists, which could be incorporated within the DoD acquisition environment. This study tested three alternative learning models (the Stanford-B model, DeJong's learning formula, and the S-Curve model) to compare predicted against actual costs for the F-15 A-E jet fighter platform. The results indicate that the S-Curve and DeJong models offer improvement over current estimation techniques, but more importantly and unexpectedly …
Taming The Hurricane Of Acquisition Cost Growth – Or At Least Predicting It, Allen J. Deneve, Erin T. Ryan, Jonathan D. Ritschel, Christine M. Schubert Kabban
Taming The Hurricane Of Acquisition Cost Growth – Or At Least Predicting It, Allen J. Deneve, Erin T. Ryan, Jonathan D. Ritschel, Christine M. Schubert Kabban
Faculty Publications
Cost growth is a persistent adversary to efficient budgeting in the Department of Defense. Despite myriad studies to uncover causes of this cost growth, few of the proposed remedies have made a meaningful impact. A key reason may be that DoD cost estimates are formulated using the highly unrealistic assumption that a program’s current baseline characteristics will not change in the future. Using a weather forecasting analogy, the authors demonstrate how a statistical approach may be used to account for these inevitable baseline changes and identify related cost growth trends. These trends are then used to reduce the error in …
Initial Capabilities Documents: A 10-Year Retrospective Of Tools, Methodologies, And Best Practices, Bryan D. Main, Michael P. Kretser, Joshua Shearer, Darrin A. Ladd
Initial Capabilities Documents: A 10-Year Retrospective Of Tools, Methodologies, And Best Practices, Bryan D. Main, Michael P. Kretser, Joshua Shearer, Darrin A. Ladd
Faculty Publications
The Joint Capabilities Integration and Development System (JCIDS) is 10 years old and ripe for review. A central output document of the JCIDS process is an Initial Capabilities Document (ICD) used by the Department of Defense to define gaps in a functional capability area and define new capabilities required. The research team analyzed 10 years of ICDs to identify methods and trends. The team found that several methodologies were favored and a convergence emerged in format and necessary content. Additionally, potential shortfalls in current best practices of interest to implementers and decision makers are identified. Guidelines and best practices are …
Investigation Into The Ratio Of Operating And Support Costs To Life-Cycle Costs For Dod Weapon Systems, Gary L. Jones, Edward D. White, Erin T. Ryan, Jonathan D. Ritschel
Investigation Into The Ratio Of Operating And Support Costs To Life-Cycle Costs For Dod Weapon Systems, Gary L. Jones, Edward D. White, Erin T. Ryan, Jonathan D. Ritschel
Faculty Publications
Recent legislation, such as the Weapon Systems Acquisition Reform Act of 2009, requires a renewed emphasis on understanding Operating and Support (O&S) costs. Conventional wisdom within the acquisition community suggests a 70:30 cost ratio with respect to O&S and acquisition of an average weapon system. Using 37 Air Force and Navy programs, the authors estimate the mean overall ratio of O&S costs to acquisition costs to be closer to 55:45, although many weapon systems displayed significant deviation from this 55 percent average. Contributing factors such as life expectancy and acquisition strategy (i.e., new system or modification) affect this variance. Their …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
A Decision Analysis Tool For The Source Selection Process, John R. Trumm
A Decision Analysis Tool For The Source Selection Process, John R. Trumm
Theses and Dissertations
The source selection process for choosing a contractor does not incorporate a standardized objective decision analysis tool; therefore, the process is extremely subjective and provides little guidance to distinguish between highly competitive contractors. The Air Force Simplified Acquisition of Base Engineer Requirements (SABER) program selects contractors through a Low Price Technically Acceptable (LPTA) source selection process and encounters the same problem of not being able to objectively distinguish between the competing contractors. The LPTA process rank orders the contractors based on price and evaluates the bidders in order until an 'exceptional' contractor is discovered. However, the SABER source selection committee …
A Market Reaction To Dod Contact Delay, Robert D. Carden
A Market Reaction To Dod Contact Delay, Robert D. Carden
Theses and Dissertations
Development projects are occurring at a faster rate in the civilian world than for the Department of Defense (DoD). In the civilian world, faster development means quicker delivery and sales. In the DoD, quicker product development equates to a more capable warfighter. On average, DoD Acquisition Category One (ACAT I) development projects are approaching a 15 year procurement cycle. In the last three years, acquisition cycle time has grown nearly 20 percent. It turns out that the very companies that have learned to be faster, leaner and more effective in their civilian endeavors do not seem to be functioning the …
Acquisition Program Re-Baselines: Theory And Practice, Troy A. Suarez
Acquisition Program Re-Baselines: Theory And Practice, Troy A. Suarez
Theses and Dissertations
The United States Government requires every program manager in the Department of Defense to document program goals prior to the initiation of an acquisition program. According to the Defense Acquisition Guidebook (2005), an Acquisition Program Baseline (APB) satisfies this requirement. Updating the APB, also referred to as re-baselining, may also be required during the execution of an acquisition program. Although guidance is available for the initial production of a program baseline, scarce information on the guidance and theoretical purpose of a program re-baseline exists. The research presented in this thesis investigated the purpose and effectiveness of program re-baselines through interviews …