Performance-Based Services Acquisition
Abstract
Performance-based Services Acquisition (PBSA) is the government s preferred approach to purchasing services (National Defense Authorization, 2000, 821). These contracts specify the government s desired end result without stipulating "how" a task should be performed, granting contractors the flexibility to complete its tasks in the manner the firm deems most appropriate. This method runs counter to traditional government contracts that explicitly state the processes a contractor must complete in order to perform the task in accordance with the contractual agreement (which is input oriented, i.e., compliance oriented, vs. output oriented, i.e., results oriented). If implemented correctly, PBSA will allow the Department of Defense (DoDIG) to attain better performance at lower cost in its services acquisitions than the DoD currently achieves. Since fiscal year (FY) 2000, the DoD has spent an average of 56% of its budget on the acquisition of services, including research and development activities, compared to 39% during the 1980s (U.S. General Services Administration 2009). In FY 2009, the DoD spent $132 billion on services an 84% increase since FY 2000 (U.S. General Services Administration 2009). The federal government has significantly increased its purchase of services over time as (1) its internal capacity to furnish such services has diminished and (2) the DoD s overall reliance upon services has increased markedly. The Federal Acquisition Regulation defines a services acquisition contract as an agreement that directly engages the time and effort of a contractor whose primary purpose is to perform an identifiable task rather than to furnish an end item of supply and defines a performance-based contract as structured around the results to be achieved as opposed to the manner by which the work is to be performed (FAR, 2010, 37.101). The DoD has further acknowledged that four elements are required for an acquisition to be performance-based.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Feb 01, 2011
- Accession Number
- ADA555375
Entities
People
- Christopher Vorhis
- Jacques Gansler
- William Lucyshyn
Organizations
- University of Maryland