Department of Defense's Waiver of Competitive Prototyping Requirement for the Air Force's F-15 Eagle Passive/Active Warning and Survivability System (EPAWSS) Program

Abstract

The Weapon Systems Acquisition Reform Act of 2009, as amended (WSARA), requires the Secretary of Defense to modify guidance to ensure that the acquisition strategy for each major defense acquisition program provides for competitive prototypes before Milestone B approval which authorizes entry into system development unless the Milestone Decision Authority waives the requirement.1 Competitive prototyping, which involves commercial, government, or academic sources producing early prototypes of weapon systems or critical subsystems, can help Department of Defense (DOD) programs reduce technical risk, refine requirements, validate designs and cost estimates, and evaluate manufacturing processes prior to making major commitments of resources. It can also help reduce the time it takes to field a system, and as a result, reduce its acquisition cost. WSARA states that the Milestone Decision Authority may waive the competitive prototyping requirement only on the basis that (1) the cost of producing competitive prototypes exceeds the expected life-cycle benefits (in constant dollars) of producing such prototypes, including the benefits of improved performance and increased technological and design maturity that may be achieved through competitive prototyping; or (2) but for such a waiver, DOD would be unable to meet critical national security objectives. WSARA also provides that when a Milestone Decision Authority authorizes a waiver of the competitive prototyping requirement on the basis of what WSARA describes as excessive cost, the Milestone Decision Authority is required to submit notification of the waiver, together with the rationale, to the Comptroller General of the United States at the same time it is submitted to the congressional defense committees.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Sep 21, 2015
Accession Number
ADA622574

Entities

Organizations

  • United States Government Accountability Office

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • Electronic Warfare
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Acquisition
  • Air Force
  • Aircrafts
  • Congress
  • Cost Benefit Analysis
  • Cost Estimates
  • Countermeasures
  • Department Of Defense
  • Economic Analysis
  • Electronic Countermeasures
  • Electronic Warfare
  • Fighter Aircraft
  • Governments
  • Military Acquisition
  • National Security
  • Product Prototyping
  • Test And Evaluation

Readers

  • Civilian Systems Systems Program Capability Development and Upgrade Support Activity Expense and Pay Management.
  • Defense Acquisition Program Management