Management

Assignment 4:
Research an article that is about the acquisition process in the Department of Defense. Your paper should review the process and discuss the ethical ramifications for those involved in the acquisition process in the Department of Defense.
Write a two-page paper, plus the title page and a reference page. As always, read all the lesson notes before you start this assignment as new or current events may have been updated since the start of class.
Writing Instructions (Please do read this):

•Written communication: Written communication is free of errors that detract from the overall message.
•APA formatting: Resources and citations are formatted according to APA style and formatting.
•Length of paper: typed, double-spaced pages with no less than a two-page paper.
•Font and font size: Times New Roman, 12 point.

ANSWER

The Department of Defense (DoD) Acquisition Process is often referred to as a mission agency. The DoD is an intended consumer of products and services but cannot purchase directly from suppliers or retailers, especially for technology, as the department is constantly changing to update to the most recent technologies. For this reason, purchases may not occur in a regular way as it would be too expensive. At most times, a contractor working with the DoD develops a part of a much larger system, for example, a component of a tank, aircraft, or submarine, and the government purchases the device from a large defense prime contractor (Defense 2011). The process makes the acquisition process a unique one with vital relationships between the government and crucial supplies. This paper examines the acquisition process of the Department of Defense and discusses the ethical ramifications for those involved in the acquisition process.

The DoD acquisition process has three major processes, which include acquisition, requirements, and funding implemented by DoD Instruction 5000.02: Operation of the Adaptive Acquisition Framework (Defense 2011). The Framework is tasked with the objective to deliver effective, affordable, survivable, suitable, timely, and sustainable solutions. The instruction presents principles and policies that manage the acquisition process and becomes the foundation of all DoD programs (Gunderson 2017). Additionally, it “identifies the specific statutory and regulatory reports and other information requirements for each milestone review and decision point” (Gunderson 2017). The system is referred to as an event-based system by the DoD because of its nature, where every decision is subject to a sequence of milestones, processes, and reviews. At the end of each milestone is a review of the phase where the department makes a decision on whether to go forward or abandon the project. This management technique is referred to as the Integrated Product and Process Development (IPPD), where an integration of all the vital acquisition processes, milestones, and review are detailed (Gunderson 2017).

There five major phases in the DoD acquisition process. The first one is the material solution analysis phase, which possible analysis solutions through an assessment of its supportability and affordability. This phase considers various solutions as alternatives to fill present technological gaps. The second phase is the technology maturation and risk reduction phase, which aims at assessing the risk, the engineering integration, and its suitability to the entire system as part of the whole. This phase assists in making a logical business decision and becomes the initial beginning of an acquisition program. The third phase is the engineering and manufacturing development phase, where a component is designed and developed before it is taken into production. The purpose of this phase is to achieve complete integration, ensure the component is affordable and executable and test and evaluate the system before moving into production. The fourth phase is now the production and deployment phase. Here the component has achieved the desired operation capability and is produced in large numbers for the end-user. The fifth and final phase is the operations and support phase, where the component is applied in the field. The aim of this phase is to initiate a support system that sustains the entire system in the most effective method. Additionally, this phase ensures that the system is disposed of once it achieves its intended purpose (Richards 2015).

In most, if not all, DoD acquisitions where third-party contractors, supplies, or producers are involved, discretion is highly required where third parties must sign non-disclosure agreements. In conclusion, the paper has covered the acquisition process of the Department of Defense and discussed the ethical ramifications for those involved in the acquisition process.

References

DEFENSE, U. S. O. (2011). SUBJECT: Directive-Type Memorandum (DTM) 11-009, Acquisition Policy for Defense Business Systems (DBS) References: See Attachment 1 Purpose. In accordance with the authority in DoD Directive (DoDD) 5134.01 (Reference (a)) and the guidance in DoDD 5000.01 (Reference (b)), this DTM. Change, 1(12/09), 2.

Gunderson, C. (2017). Adaptive Acquisition: An Evolving Framework for Tailoring Engineering and Procurement of Defense Systems (No. SERAG: 1-17). AIR FORCE INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY WRIGHT-PATTERSON AFB OH WRIGHT-PATTERSON AFB United States.

Richards, J. E., & Santamaria, P. F. (2015). Life Cycle Cost Framework and Metrics for Engineered Resilient Systems. In IIE Annual Conference. Proceedings (p., 2848). Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers (IISE).