Outsourcing, In-sourcing, and Maintaining the Acquisition Workforce Profession
Abstract
The recent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have strained the limits of DoD's organic and externally sourced capabilities with literally tens of billions of dollars of required contracts and hundreds of thousands of private sector personnel contracted to support the war effort. Not surprisingly, DoD's extensive reliance on contractors resulted in contractors performing inherently governmental (IG) functions or activities that closely support IG functions, including the oversight and management of the contract activity itself. The use of contractors to perform inherently governmental functions and core competencies, and DoD's and the Federal government's response to those infractions, threaten to undermine the contracting profession and further constrain the flexibility and responsiveness of DoD in particular and the U.S. government in general. This paper examines the management of the contracting workforce before and during the current war efforts, assesses the general level of encroachment on DoD core contracting competencies, and evaluates the consequences of intrusions across the jurisdictional boundaries of the contract management task environment on the acquisition workforce profession itself.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 13, 2012
- Accession Number
- ADA561065
Entities
People
- Karen L. Coccio
Organizations
- United States Army War College