UNDERSTANDING ARMY ACQUISITION


DOD the flexibility necessary to adopt and incorporate business practices that reflect commercial industry standards into its award instruments. DOD currently has permanent authority to award other-transaction agreements for research, prototype and production purposes. Tis kind of agreement allows nontraditional vendors a pathway for doing business with the government and introducing new and innovative ideas. In fiscal year 2019, the Army awarded 854 other-transaction agreements valued at roughly $4.9 billion.


SHORTEN TRAINING TO SPEED PROCUREMENT


One of several efforts to make acquisition quicker and simpler, the Simplified Acquisition Threshold Supply Procurement Program was designed to require minimal training by customers to navigate the online marketplace. (Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Kevin McClatchey)


FAR and DFARS contract clauses that are required to “flow down” from prime contractors to subcontractors, especially commercial subcontractors, are excessive and create additional burdens on DOD’s supply chain. In response, the Section 809 panel updated the FAR and DFARS to reduce burdens on DOD’s commercial supply chain, to decrease cost, prevent delays, remove barriers and encourage innovation in the military services.


Te panel recommended minimizing the number of government-unique terms in commercial buying. Te panel noted that when the Federal Acquisition Streamlin- ing Act was established in 1994, there were only 57 FAR and DFARS clauses applicable to commercial buying. Today there are 165, according to the panel. Te proliferation of clauses applicable to commercial buying at the prime contract level directly affects the number of govern- ment-unique clauses to subcontractors offering commercial products and services.


SHARPENING THE SKILLS TO CONTRACT WELL


Capt. David Ray leads a quality assurance class for Soldiers during a contingency contract administration services training event in March at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Ray is a 609th Contracting Team contract management officer at Fort Bragg. (Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Terry Ann Lewis)


Te 2018 NDAA amended the Truth in Negotiations Act to increase the thresh- old for contractors submitting certified cost and pricing data from $750,000 to $2 million. Contracting officers may still require cost or pricing data without certi- fication, as they are tasked with ensuring that the cost or pricing data is fair and


https://asc.ar my.mil 37


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