SD-2 Dod Acquisitions Buying Commercial Items And Nondevelopmental ItemsThis document offers guidance on acquisitions involving all types of commercial and nondevelopmental items: systems, subsystems, assemblies, parts, and items of supply. Commercial services are also addressed.This document does not present a “cookbook” approach to the acquisition of commercial and nondevelopmental items; such an approach could not accommodate the vast array of potential applications. It does offer lessons learned and things to consider when participating on an integrated product team.

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Depending on the acquisition, the IPT may also include subject matter experts such as

•  transportability experts to assess requirements for packaging, handling, storage, and trans- portation;

•  human factors engineers to deal with human-oriented acquisition issues or topics;

•  representatives of the test and evaluation community to plan the test strategy for the pro- gram; and

•  members of the training community to ensure that system users and organization/unit leaders are prepared to employ the system advantageously and that operators, maintainers, and support personnel are properly trained and can retain their operational effectiveness.

In addition, independent industry experts or consultants may be needed to assist the IPT with its evaluation of various aspects of the commercial and nondevelopmental items under consideration.

The IPT members must be continually engaged in the acquisition process and decisions.This requires that they understand the latest developments in the market and adapt program objec- tives and strategy accordingly. In other words, a program that seeks to maximize the use of commercial items or NDIs must adapt itself to the pace of the commercial market.

What Is the Process for Buying Commercial and Nondevelopmental Items?

In general, the process used to acquire commercial and nondevelopmental items is a streamlined version of the acquisition process described in DoD Directive 5000.01,"The Defense Acquisi- tion System," which provides the policies and principles that govern the defense acquisition sys- tem (Appendix B summarizes the key policies). DoD Instruction 5000.02,"0perations of the Defense Acquisition System," in turn, establishes the management framework that implements these policies and principles.

Buying commercial or nondevelopmental items involves the following key activities:

•  Define requirements both at a high level and at a detailed engineering level

•  Identify a candidate commercial or nondevelopmental item that appears to best meet the requirements

•  Develop a life-cycle support plan for the item

•  Test and evaluate the item to determine its ability to satisfy the requirements

•  Plan and implement the acquisition strategy.

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