requirement to repair the boot. Similarly, the requirements must include a definition of how worn the boot should be before the Soldier can turn it in for replacement.
Step 5: Te CDD also must identify key performance param- eters (KPPs) or key system attributes (KSAs) that a vendor absolutely must meet. For example, a KPP could be boot drying time. A KSA may be the color of the boot, such as brown. Tere- fore, tan, sand or khaki may be acceptable. Army leadership does not make fashion statements and doesn’t care if the boots match the uniform. But leadership does care if the boot achieves the requirement to support the warfighter.
ABSURD LENGTHS For all ACAT programs—tanks, ships and boots—CDDs are restricted to a maximum of 45 pages. In researching my doctoral dissertation to develop a strategy to accelerate the approval time of an ACAT III program within the JCIDS process, I found that virtually all of the CDDs in my research, regardless of the com- plexity, had a page count of 45.
For ACAT IIIs, the ideal page count should be no more than 10 pages. Overly prescriptive requirements make the process harder—not only for the requirement writer but for the contrac- tor who eventually will produce the product. Tey also slow the delivery, increase cost and inhibit creativity.
Helpful hint: Since all products must have a CDD, it makes sense when developing one for a COTS product to have the CDD’s wording reflect the actual capabilities of the product. Leveraging the established capabilities of the COTS product should make the description in the CDD shorter and easier to develop.
Once the CDD is approved, it’s the PM’s responsibility to develop a contract to acquire the capability. Te PM shop will develop a document called the capability production document (CPD) to develop the acquisition and contracting strategy, which includes the type of contract to be used (firm fixed-price, cost-plus or best value) and the request for proposal (RFP). Te RFP will include the parameters by which proposals will be evaluated.
Te CPD defines the specifications of the capability or product the PM is contracting to acquire. If the PM representative is an initial stakeholder, the development of the CPD can happen while the CDD is being approved. Months, if not years, can be saved if all the stakeholders work together simultaneously to develop a CDD and a procurement document such as a CPD.
CONCLUSION
A sensible question to ask is, “How long should it take to acquire a capability like a jungle boot?” Jungle boots currently exist in the commercial market—as a COTS product—that meet most if not all of the Army’s requirements. Tus, anyone can order a pair online and have them delivered within a week.
Does it make sense that it has taken more than four years to deliberate about the acquisition of a jungle boot through the JCIDS process? Why spend over a year writing a lengthy CDD, wait 120 days for approval and devote an additional 18 months to contract, just to acquire something that’s already commercially available? If the document writer can produce a CDD that is 10 pages or fewer and the CDD is understood by all stakeholders, that time frame and the entire acquisition process will improve.
Based on examples of approved CDDs that I reviewed, I devel- oped the “approval time formula.” Te formula takes into consideration six different factors that include the ACAT cat- egory, the cost of the program, priority and the risk of the project. Army management can use this formula to develop objective metrics to track the program approval process and apply empha- sis when necessary.
Will the time to deliver a COTS product ever be reduced to a week? I think not. However, delivering a COTS product such as a jungle boot within two years is very much within reach.
For more information, contact the author at DonSchlomer@
gmail.com or 813-826-1353; or go to
https://www.dau.mil/ tools/t/Manual-for-the-Operation-of-the-Joint-Capabilities- Integration-and-Development-System/. (A Common Access Card is needed to log in.)
DR. DONALD SCHLOMER, LT. COL., USA (RET.), provides contract support for KTC Consulting as an acquisition specialist at U.S. Special Operations Command. He has a doctorate in business administration and in project management from Walden University, an MBA in finance from Clemson University and a B.B.A. in information systems from the University of Georgia, and is a graduate of the Quartermaster Officer Advanced Course. He has 14 years of JCIDS acquisition experience and was an instructor of the JCIDS process for the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College.
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