Acquisition Exam Notes

Digital Engineering and Model Based Systems Engineering (MBSE)

• Focus: Developing/maintaining digital models representing the system, internal components, external interfaces, and operational environment.

Digital Threads and Authoritative Source of Truth (ASoT)

• Digital Thread Functions:
  • Link models.
  • Convert data between systems.
  • Helps create the Authoritative Source of Truth (ASoT).
• Authoritative Source of Truth (ASoT):
  • Central reference point for models.

Digital Twins

• Usage in Production and Sustainment:
  • Track maintenance/performance issues.
  • Test potential fixes/updates.
  • Track implementation of modifications.
  • Track production and quality during production (digital twin of a production line).

Life Cycle Logistics

• Goals and Importance:
  • Design the support and support the design.
  • Needs to be addressed early to make the system more easily maintained.

Integrated Product Support (IPS) Elements

• Twelve IPS Elements:
  • Maintenance planning and management.
  • Manpower and personnel.
  • Facilities.
  • Training.
  • Packaging, handling, storage, transportation.
  • Tech data management.
  • Computer resources.
  • Supply support.
  • Support equipment and automated test systems.
  • Anti-tamper.
  • Design interface.
  • Sustaining/Systems engineering.

Diminishing Manufacturing Sources and Material Shortages (DMSMS)

• Definition:
  • The loss or impending loss of manufacturers of items or suppliers of items or raw materials.

Product Support

• Definition:
  • Continuous and collaborative set of activities that establishes and maintains readiness and the operational capability of a system, subsystem, or end-item throughout the entire lifecycle.

Performance-Based Logistics (PBL)

• Purpose:
  • To specify outcome performance goals.

Organic Support vs. Contractor Logistics Support

• Organic Support:
  • Military and government support.
• Contractor Logistics Support (CLS):
  • Contracted out.

Air Logistics Complexes (ALC)

• Role:
  • Facilities that provide the DoD an organic capability to overhaul, repair, modify, and sustain new and existing weapons systems.

Core and 50/50 Laws

• 50/50 Law:
  • No more than 50% of the funds made available in a fiscal year to a military department for depot-level maintenance and repair may be used to contract for the performance of such workload by non-federal government employees.
• Core Law:
  • The DoD must maintain a core logistics capability which is Government-owned and Government-operated to ensure a ready and controlled source of technical competence and resources for surge operations.

Depot Source of Repair (DSOR) Process

• Formula:
  • $SORA + DMI = DSOR$

Building a Performance Measurement Baseline (PMB)

• Steps:
  1. Develop a Work Breakdown Structure.
  2. Schedule the work.
  3. Allocate the budget.

EVMS Terms

• Budgeted Cost of Work Scheduled (BCWS):
  • The estimated cost/budget for a specific “work package.”
• Actual Cost of Work Performed (ACWP):
  • What was actually spent performing the “work package.” This will be information reported by the contractor or agency reporting Earned Value information.
• Budgeted Cost of Work Performed (BCWP):
  • A “metric” used in EVM to measure the amount of work completed. BCWP is calculated from BCWS—the value of a completed work package is equal to the original budgeted cost for the work package. At the end of the project, when all the work is completed, BCWP will always be equal to the total cumulative BCWS. It represents work accomplished in terms of dollars.
• BAC (Budget at Completion):
  • Overall project budget at the end.
• EAC (Estimate at Completion):
  • To figure out how much funding is needed to complete the program.
• Performance Measurement Baseline (PMB):
  • Plan against which actual work and cost are measured.
• Schedule Variance (SV):
  • $SV = BCWP – BCWS$
• Cost Variance (CV):
  • $CV = BCWP – ACWP$
• Schedule Variance % (SV%):
  • $SV\% = \frac{SV}{BCWS} * 100$
• Cost Variance % (CV%):
  • $CV\% = \frac{CV}{BCWP} * 100$
• Cost Performance Index (CPI):
  • $CPI = \frac{BCWP}{ACWP}$
• Schedule Performance Index (SPI):
  • $SPI = \frac{BCWP}{BCWS}$
• Estimate to Complete (ETC):
  • $ETC = EAC – ACWP_{cumulative}$
• Variance at Completion (VAC):
  • $VAC = BAC – EAC$
• TCPI:
  • $TCPI = \frac{BAC – BCWP<em>{cumulative}}{BAC – ACWP</em>{cumulative}}$

R&D Funding Categories

• Managed by AFRL:
  • Basic research, applied research, advanced technology development.
• Managed by Program Offices:
  • Advanced component development and prototypes, system development and demonstration.

Technology Planning Objectives

• Objectives:
  • Identify and prioritize efforts to address warfighter needs.
  • Formulate dollar-constrained science & technology projects.
  • Validate technologies for transition to customers.

Technology Readiness Levels (TRL)

• Purpose:
  • Way to communicate the maturity of technology.
• TRL 6:
  • Demonstrates a working prototype – milestone B.

Technology Transfer vs. Technology Transition

• Transition:
  • To AFRL to a program office.
• Transfer:
  • To a non-governmental agency “FAR”.

Purposes of T&E

• Purposes:
  1. Mature system designs.
  2. Manage risks.
  3. Identify & resolve deficiencies early.
  4. Provide the acquisition community with knowledge to improve the system performance before production.
  5. Provide user community with knowledge to optimize system operations and sustainment.

Development Test and Evaluation (DT&E) vs. Operational Test and Evaluation (OT&E)

• Developmental:
  • Evaluates design approaches.
• Operational:
  • Realistic test environment.

Integrated Test Teams (ITT)

• Purpose:
  • Create and manage the strategy for T&E for the life of each program.
  • CDT & Op Test Org.

Responsibilities of Key Personnel and Organizations Involved with T&E

• AFOTEC:
  • Conducts all IOT&E, QOT&E, and FOT&E.
• Contractor:
  • DT&E at their facilities, OT&E only support how they would in war!
• LDTO:
  • Lead government entity qualified to conduct and be responsible for overseeing DT&E.

Purpose of Key Documents

• TEMP (Test & Evaluation Master Plan):
  • Details the integrated strategy & overarching T&E objectives for a program.
• PID (Program Introduction Document):
  • Identifies the requirements for the test program.
• SOC (Statement of Capability):
  • LDTO’s response to PID.

Types of Modifications

• Temporary (T-1):
  • Special mission to add some form of operational capability – one mission in mind.
• Temporary (T-2):
  • Test and evaluation, demonstrate a new capability.
• Permanent

Modification Management Process

• Steps:
  1. Identify the need for modifications.
  2. Documenting the need (AF Form 1067).
  3. Board actions.
  4. Implementing modifications.

Acquisition Chain of Command

• Roles of Members: N/A

Air Force Materiel Command (AFMC) and Sub-Commands

• Air Force Life Cycle Management Center (AFLCMC):
  • Focuses on acquisition and product support (the entire life cycle) for Air Force weapon systems to meet operational needs in a cost-effective and timely manner. The center also oversees Foreign Military Sales (FMS).
• Air Force Sustainment Center (AFSC):
  • Responsible for the operations support portion of life-cycle management, to include oversight of three Air Logistics Complexes located at Hill AFB, Robins AFB, and Tinker AFB, as well as supply chain management.
• Air Force Test Center (AFTC):
  • Conducts developmental testing and evaluation of air, space, and cyber systems.
• Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center (AFNWC):
  • The AFNWC mission is to ensure safe, secure, and effective nuclear capabilities for the warfighter.
• Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL):
  • AFRL focuses on technology development.
• Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center (AFIMSC):
  • Responsible for installation and mission support functions throughout the Air Force. It oversees all the Air Base Wing or Group functions and handles functions such as Civil Engineering, Installation Contracting, Security Forces, Financial Management and Services, and Air Force Services activities.

Program Reporting and Acquisition Categories (ACATs)

• Details: N/A

Acquisition Decision Memorandum (ADM) and Acquisition Program Baseline (APB)

• Acquisition Decision Memorandum (ADM):
  • After a Milestone review or key decision point, the MDA uses an ADM to record the milestone decision and provide additional direction for the program. An ADM serves as the official record of the milestone or decision point. This is a short document which may include additional testing or milestone criteria the MDA wants the program to achieve before proceeding further.
• Acquisition Program Baseline (APB):
  • The APB documents a program’s cost, schedule, and performance baselines. It is also a binding agreement between the MDA, the PEO, the Component Acquisition Executive (CAE) (if applicable), and the PM. The PM is responsible for developing the APB. Once established, only the MDA can approve APB changes.

Program Deviation

• Definition:
  • Failure to live up to the APB (Acquisition Program Baseline).

Role of Armed Services Committees

• Role:
  • Authorize programs by reviewing the programs submitted by the Department of Defense as part of the Planning, Programming, Budgeting, and Execution System (PPBE) process.

Role of Appropriation Committees

• Role:
  • The House Appropriations Committee (HAC) and Senate Appropriations Committee (SAC) have jurisdiction over the appropriation of the revenue for the support of the Government. They are responsible for all aspects of government spending, including the Department of Defense. The HAC and SAC take the authorized DoD programs and appropriate, or assign, specific amounts of money to be used by each program.

Role of Budget Committees

• Role:
  • The Senate Budget Committee (SBC) and the House Budget Committee (HBC) are not directly involved in the authorization and appropriation processes; however, they do influence the enactment of the DoD budget by establishing overall budgetary goals for the military budget.

Role of Government Accountability Office (GAO) and Congressional Budget Office (CBO)

• GAO:
  • The GAO conducts audits and investigations, and issues reports to committees and often reviews data submitted in support of budget requests, and examines alternatives. The GAO examines the manner in which Government agencies use and control funds appropriated by Congress and those non-appropriated funds generated within the DoD Components.
• CBO:
  • (1) Monitoring the economy and estimating the impact of government actions upon it, (2) improving the flow and quality of budget information, and (3) analyzing the costs and effects of alternative budget choices.

Security Assistance and FMS

• Importance:
  • FMS falls under the umbrella of Security Assistance.

Major Players Involved in Foreign Military Sales (FMS)

• Players:
  • SECDEF/DoD, DSCA, SCO, SAF/IA, AFSAC, AFSAT, SAPM

Key Elements of the Process for Accomplishing Foreign Military Sales (FMS)

• Process:
  • Country sends a letter of request, SAF/IA acknowledges receipt, USG signs LOA into the country (must be signed prior to offer expiration date), country sends signed LOA to DFAS.

Service vs. Supply

• Service:
  • An intangible action (tasks, performed by people, etc.).
• Supply:
  • Materials and systems (touch, overhaul, repair, salvage, rebuild, etc.).
  • Doesn’t include services acquired using other pathways, Efforts required under $250k, embedded services, contingencies, foreign military services.

Phases in the 7-Step Process for the Acquisition of Services Pathway

• Phases:
  • Plan, develop, execute.

Requirements Approval Document (RAD)

• Definition:
  • Requirements document for a services acquisition effort.

Funding Services

• Responsibility:
  • The user who uses the service (ex: Air University for janitorial services at AFIT).

Responsibilities of AF Program Executive Officer for Combat and Mission Support (AFPEO/CM)

• Responsibilities:
  • Senior services manager for the DAF, Services Acquisition Decision Authority (SADA).

Performance Work Statement (PWS) vs. Statement of Work (SOW)

• PWS:
  • A PWS is the services equivalent of a SOO and details service outcomes, performance standards, and actionable objectives/tasks.