Sourcing Decisions for Air Force Support Services: Current and Historical Patterns,
Abstract
To enhance military readiness or quality of life and/or to reduce cost, the Air Force is currently seeking opportunities to expand outsourcing of support activities. RAND's Project AIR FORCE is supporting this effort with a project that addresses several aspects of expanded privatization and outsourcing. This documented briefing reports the results to date of one line of inquiry in that project: Where should the Air Force look within its support activities for additional outsourcing candidates? This briefing addresses a group of activities that the Air Force refers to as 'commercial activities.' By definition, these activities are available in the private sector. That does not mean that the private sector can necessarily provide them more cost effectively than the Air Force can. But the Air Force buys many of these services from private sources already. Private sources should be available if the Air Force decides to buy additional services of this kind. This briefing focuses on two issues. First, of all the current activities that the Air Force has identified as commercial, how many has it already outsourced? How do outsourcing patterns depend on the major command and on activity type? When the effects of major commands and activity types are accounted for, how much cross-installation variation remains? Second, the Office of Management and Budget requires the Air Force to use an 'A-76 program' to compare organic and contract costs for most commercial activities other than depot maintenance. (Depot maintenance is excluded from A-76 cost comparison by Title 10, Section 2469 of the U.S. Code.) How has this program worked in different parts of the Air Force and for different kinds of activities?
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 1997
- Accession Number
- ADA321481
Entities
People
- Christopher Hanks
- Edward G. Keating
- Frank A. Camm
Organizations
- RAND Corporation