CUSHIONING THE FALL
FIGURE 1
NTIB. Tis allowed potential vendors of detonating cord to buy PETN from off- shore suppliers and thus expanded the potential number of manufacturers for detonating cord in the NTIB.
Additionally, Team CCS broke out the family buy of five detonating cords, since one of the cords could still be pro- duced only by a specific manufacturer. Two contracts were awarded—one com- petitive, three-year contract within the NTIB, and one sole-source contract for a shorter duration. Te shorter, two-year contract provides
repeated opportuni-
ties for manufacturers to recompete in the near term and increases the likeli- hood that there will be a sustained IB to support detonating cord requirements in the future.
CHANGING TIMES At the start of 2003, only one facility supported the production of aircraft pyrophoric counter- measure flares. As requirements increased for all three services, the supplier expanded from one facility to three. As requirements have decreased, the contractor has right-sized itself to adapt to the lower demand, closing two facilities. (SOURCE: PM CCS)
planning briefs to industry and sympo- sia helped our team refine acquisition strategies to reduce program costs while ensuring a viable, competitive environment.
COMPETITIVE CONTRACTING Team CCS found another effective use of market surveys by looking into the CCS-managed detonation cord, used as a detonating agent, a priming agent or
alone as an explosive charge. In
the past, with only one known source capable of manufacturing detonation cords, our team supported a family buy of five detonating cords. Re-examining this approach for an FY13 solicitation, our team conducted in-depth market research that included telephonic inter- views with commercial detonating cord
118 Army AL&T Magazine
manufacturers and suppliers regarding procurement of the cord.
Tis new research indicated additional interest in producing the detonating cords. However, as in the past, only one producer met the NTIB restriction for pentaery- thritol tetranitrate (PETN), a highly explosive organic compound at the core of detonation cords. Te research also showed that the producer of this explosive had a supplier agreement to sell only military- grade PETN to one manufacturer, which limited competition within the NTIB. Te needed quantities of military-grade PETN are very small, and not restricting it to the NTIB would pose no harm to the producer. Terefore, Team CCS decided that PETN would not be restricted to the
January–March 2014
NURTURING THE BASE A primary tool for Team CCS to man- age our munitions IB responsibly is the Section 806 process. Section 806 of the Strom Turmond National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1999 permits the Army to restrict procure- ment actions to less than full and open competition as a way to protect the North American munitions IB. Tis allows the Single Manager for Conven- tional Ammunition within DOD to limit actions to sources within the NTIB. Tis law helps preserve those unique capabilities and suppliers in the NTIB that are considered critical to producing conventional ammunition. Team CCS and PEO Ammo use Section 806 to ensure that acquisitions stay within the NTIB for items that are at risk of being lost without government intervention. (See related article on Page 120.)
In our acquisition strategies, our team works to identify potential sources of single-point failure (SPF) where an end item or subcomponent has only one
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