Management and oversight of services acquisition within the United States Army

• Main Authors: Rau, Charles A., Stambersky, Peter J.
• Other Authors: Apte, Aruna U.
• Published: Monterey, California. Naval Postgraduate School 2012
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10945/10446

Approved for public release, distribution unlimited === MBA Professional Report === The purpose of this MBA project is to determine how the United States Army manages and oversees the acquisition of services. To accomplish this objective, the authors deployed a survey to 81 separate contracting centers to collect empirical data. The survey, created by Meinshausen and Compton as part of a prior NPS MBA project, was designed to collect data on contract characteristics, life-cycle approach, project management, organization structure, and training provided to acquisition personnel. The survey was available for two full weeks in early March 2009. During this period, 61 respondents completed the survey, representing a 75% response rate. The results show that the vast majority of contracting centers are using competitively bid, fixed-price contracts without any type of incentives. This research also shows that a project team approach often is utilized; however, the contracting officer routinely leads the acquisition effort. Additionally, the respondents indicated that there are not enough acquisition workforce billets, the current billets are not adequately filled, and that training resources are lacking. The results of this project will be used for further research in a DoD wide analysis of lifecycle management of service acquisitions.