government-unique requirements-such as contractor adherence to socioeconomic require- ments, cost accounting standards, and oversight processes-can discourage commercial firms from participating in the DoD market entirely, which may limit DoD's access to the latest tech- nologies. This challenge can be mitigated by following the acquisition policies in FAR Part 12, which reduces the number of unique government contract terms and conditions. Even when FAR Part 12 is used, commercial firms may still be reluctant to sell directly to the government. They may perceive additional administrative burdens and contractual issues, their strategic ob- jectives may not include the government as a potential customer, or DoD's requirement may
not be significant enough to entice them to do business with DoD.
Several important and growing challenges apply to commercial items and NDis, as well as to military-unique items. Among these are counterfeit parts, environmentally sensitive materials, such as lead or cadmium, and issues relating to product availability, such as obsolescence and di- minishing manufacturing sources.These issues, described in Appendix A, pose significant, costly, and growing challenges for product acquisition teams.Team members should be aware of these potential problems and take appropriate steps to help mitigate the related risks.
Successful programs recognize the challenges of using commercial products and NDis and develop strategies to address the challenges and minimize their impact.Table 1 lists the major challenges along with approaches for reducing the risks associated with them.
Table 1. Challenges and Mitigation Approaches: Commercial Products and NDls
Challenge |
Mitigation approaches |
Performance in military environment |
Conduct product verification testing Test product samples Use test beds |
Costs for frequent upgrades |
Budget up-front for expected upgrades Determine acceptability of less frequent upgrades |
Risk that desired features or performance may be changed unilaterally by the commercial firm |
Participate in supplier-customer forums to influence designs Determine if other suppliers exist Determine whether the government can maintain desired features |
Risk that supplier may go out of business or leave the industry |
Determine if alternative vendors exist Use open interface standards Determine whether the government can support the product if necessary |
Integration of various commercial items/NDIs into system |
Use independent consultants/advisors with expertise in integrating commercial items Use open interface standards Determine how integration of multiple items affects overall performance |
Costs of testing to ensure performance |
Plan for less developmental testing but more operational and performance testing |
Configuration management |
Adapt to industry cycles where possible Determine if less frequent upgrades are possible without compromising supportability of older items Budget and plan for licenses to obtain access to required technical data |
Source: https://assist.dla.mil -- Downloaded:
6 Check the source to verify that this is the current version before use.
For Parts Inquires call Parts Hangar, Inc (727) 493-0744
© Copyright 2015 Integrated Publishing, Inc.
A Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business