GROUND TRUTH
BETTER-INFORMED ANALYSES
LL_99: Reduce the time spent performing information dis- covery and creating intelligent, pertinent questions, as well as background guidance, for AoAs through legal, face-to- face interaction with industry vendors.
Background For AoAs and similar studies, the U.S. Army Materiel Systems Analysis Activity (AMSAA) typically relies on information from program managers (PMs) and the U.S. Army Training and Doc- trine Command, industry responses to requests for information (RFIs), government testing and research labs, and internal subject matter experts. For one AoA regarding a radar technol- ogy application, AMSAA reached out to industry vendors to evaluate the validity of a technology restriction mandated in a helicopter protection system RFI prior to the AoA.
AMSAA discovered that industry not only could provide input on the issue regarding cross-agency politics and legacy doc- trine, but was also able to shed light on the performance, costs, analysis tools and theory behind several solutions. Tese solu- tions included some with and without the technology restriction, which enabled AMSAA to build a case for why the exclusion of the given technology was unreasonable. (Te exclusion was later found to be an oversight on the part of the agency that crafted the original RFI questions and supplemental background.) Industry input also enabled AMSAA to approach more vendors and PMs with intelligent and relevant questions to separate the salesmanship, assumptions and politics from the unbiased truths and facts. AMSAA discovered that ven- dors often misinterpret questions and sometimes omit pertinent information because the government has not sup- plied enough background information. In the hopes of getting better responses, the AoA lead sometimes chooses to issue another written RFI, which uses valuable time and vendor resources. Or, the AoA lead may choose to rely on a subject mat- ter expert’s judgment, which may simply be a best guess. AMSAA also has found that one set of questions does not work well for soliciting solutions in which dif- ferent kinds of technologies or technology mixes may be brought to bear.
Recommendation Before developing questions or providing background infor- mation, engage with interested industry vendors to discover relevant questions to ask, potential technology combinations and how vendors design their systems (proper design-to require- ments for every potential technology or technology mix). Also, gather feedback from industry that could help in crafting ques- tions and background information in the future. Evaluate the validity of any technology restrictions mandated in the RFI or request for proposals (RFP) by engaging vendors of excluded technologies to determine if their exclusion is in the best interest of the warfighter.
Adopting these measures will help reduce the cost of conduct- ing an AoA, since tools and processes could be preplanned and available, and could help reduce rework necessitated by the use of improper examination tools. Tese measures also could help reduce the time for obtaining information through RFIs and increase the quality of information obtained, while prevent- ing legacy decisions from hampering innovative technology solutions.
SHARING KNOWLEDGE EQUALLY BUILDS LONG-TERM RELATIONSHIPS
LL_51: Maintain clear and open lines of communication with industry to build trust and a solid relationship and to facilitate knowledge transfer.
Industry days allow the government to present plans and solicit feedback on the initial
requirements, goals and schedule for an acquisition program.
22 Army AL&T Magazine July-September 2016
Background One PM actively engaged industry in preparation for the engineering and man- ufacturing development (EMD) phase. Trough various forums, the program provided avenues for industry to review and respond to the draft requirements, schedule, funding profile and procure- ment package that the program solicited to build EMD prototype systems.
Te PMO held an industry day to inform industry of the government’s intent for system development; to give an initial look at the requirements, the draft acqui- sition plans and near-term path forward; and to obtain feedback from industry. After the program released a draft RFP, industry was invited to one-on-one
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