Other Transactions for Prototypes as Used in the Commercial Operations and Support Savings Initiative 1997: A Contractors' Perspective.
Abstract
The Commercial Operations and Support Savings Initiative (COSSI) is a Government effort to reduce Operations and Support (O&S) costs by inserting commercial products and processes into fielded military systems. This initiative utilizes Other Transactions for Prototypes, also known as Section 845 Agreements, to attract non-traditional Government contractors and to speed the development of prototype kits for insertion. This thesis examines the benefits and limitations, from the contractors' perspective, of using Section 845 Agreements, as applied in COSSI 97. The Researcher concludes that the participants found the Agreements to be effective tools that fostered improved relations with the Government. The Agreement also resulted in an expanded vendor base; six of the 30 participants are non-traditional contractors and would not have participated, had an Agreement not been used. The Researcher concludes that the participants identified the Government's inexperience with the Agreement as a major limitation. The research also shows that the full potential of the Authority can only be achieved by innovative, trained Agreements Officers who are knowledgeable of the program's objectives. The Researcher makes several recommendations for an agency using or preparing to use the Authority; one of which is to provide follow-on training for non-traditional contractors.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 01, 1998
- Accession Number
- ADA350704
Entities
People
- William C. Slade
Organizations
- Naval Postgraduate School