COMMENTARY
TIGHT FOCUS
Acquisition professionals have contracting options to encour- age speed, cut through red tape and maximize value. But there’s no contracting tool that can mature an immature technology by an arbitrarily chosen time. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Adeline Witherspoon, 2nd Infantry Division Sustainment Brigade)
warfighter capability and achieving a 10 percent reduction in weight.
Each of the five components resulted in the award of up to three competing firm-fixed-price contracts for the delivery of proto- types for testing, demonstration and user field trials. What were the results? Te helmet, ballistic vest and hard armor plate efforts each failed to produce products that satisfied the capability the warfighter needed—meeting the minimum ballistic protection requirements with the desired weight savings.
Te updated combat eyewear, featuring a lens that could tran- sition from light to dark within a second, could not withstand Soldier field trials—they were fragile and broke too easily. Te integrated Soldier sensor system also failed user testing—there were too many wires, and it was too complex for Soldiers to oper- ate. For each of these efforts, the contractors delivered prototypes for testing in accordance with the contract requirements. In each case, the individual technologies within each system were mature. However, when these mature technologies were integrated into a military product and operated by Soldiers in a realistic combat environment, the system was deemed operationally unsuitable— not ready for prime time.
Cost-reimbursable contracts might have created incentives for the contractors to make progress in “ruggedizing” a militarily useful product, rather than incentivizing scheduled delivery for payment.
IT’S ALL IN THE EXECUTION A poor plan executed vigorously is better than a good plan executed poorly: It’s a very common theme in operational warfighting units. But does it really apply to defense acquisition? In defense acquisition, a poor plan vigorously executed equates to no capability delivery and wasted resources. Similarly, a poorly executed good plan equates to the same. What we need in defense acquisition is good planning and vigorous execution.
A good plan incorporates lessons learned, has flexible on- and off-ramps and delivers capability to the warfighter using an incre- mental development and procurement approach. Te recent acquisition reform initiatives emphasizing the use of other transaction authority (OTA) are a step in the right direction for streamlining acquisition efforts. Contracts based on the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) remain a barrier to entry into defense contracts for many of today’s most innovative and tech- nologically savvy firms. It is critical to leverage OTA to break down that barrier.
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