Acquisition Policy, Technology, and Competitiveness Issue Area
Plan--Fiscal Years 1995-97 (Letter Report, 04/01/95, GAO/IAP-95-10).
GAO presented its Acquisition Policy, Technology, and Competitiveness
issue area plan for fiscal years 1995 through 1997.
GAO plans to: (1) evaluate whether the Department of Defense (DOD) is
retaining critical technology and production capabilities as downsizing
takes place; (2) assess whether defense conversion programs are
cost-effective; (3) evaluate the implementation of government-wide
acquisition reform legislation and identify initiatives to promote the
acquisition of commercial products; (4) analyze the changing nature of
foreign military sales and export controls over critical military
technologies; and (5) review DOD spending priorities.
--------------------------- Indexing Terms -----------------------------
REPORTNUM: IAP-95-10
TITLE: Acquisition Policy, Technology, and Competitiveness Issue
Area Plan--Fiscal Years 1995-97
DATE: 04/01/95
SUBJECT: Defense conversion
Commercial products
Defense procurement
Procurement practices
Military downsizing
Cost effectiveness analysis
Dual-use technologies
Defense capabilities
Foreign military sales
Export regulation
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Cover
================================================================ COVER
National Security and International Affairs Division
April 1995
ACQUISITION POLICY, TECHNOLOGY,
AND COMPETITIVENESS ISSUE AREA
PLAN - FISCAL YEARS 1995-97
GAO/IAP-95-10
Abbreviations
=============================================================== ABBREV
DOD - Department of Defense
ABC - ABCDED
FOREWORD
============================================================ Chapter 0
The Acquisition Policy, Technology, and Competitiveness issue area is
one of the General Accounting Office's 35 issue areas. Relying
heavily on input from congressional committees, as well as industry,
academia, agency officials, and other experts, GAO develops issue
area plans to ensure that our resources are directed towards the most
important concerns of the Congress.
GAO serves as a source of timely, accurate information and unbiased
analysis for decisionmakers in the Congress and executive agencies.
For each issue area, GAO's strategic plan describes the significance
of the issues, our objectives, and the focus of our work. Our work
includes such products as reports, briefings, and testimonies.
GAO's work in the Acquisition Policy, Technology, and Competitiveness
issue area focuses on policies and processes of the Department of
Defense (DOD) and civil agencies that are designed to make affordable
acquisitions as well as sustain the health, technological leadership,
and international competitiveness of the industrial base in a period
of downsizing.
The principal issues in the issue area are
-- ensuring the industrial and technology base is being
restructured to best serve U.S. security interests;
-- examining whether defense exports are maintaining critical
industrial capabilities and reducing unit costs of weapons for
the Department of Defense (DOD) while retaining technological
leadership and competitiveness; and
-- evaluating progress and new initiatives in federal acquisition
reforms and best/commercial practices for streamlining and
improving acquisition processes and practices while ensuring
public funds are properly spent.
In the pages that follow, we describe our objectives and planned work
on these issues.
Because unanticipated events may affect this plan, GAO's planning
process allows for updating the plan and responding to emerging
issues. If you have any questions or suggestions about this plan,
please call me at (202) 512-4125.
David E. Cooper
Director
Acquisition Policy, Technology and
Competitiveness Issues
CONTENTS
============================================================ Chapter 1
FOREWORD
---------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 1:1
1
TABLE I: KEY ISSUES
---------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 1:2
4
TABLE II: PLANNED MAJOR WORK
---------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 1:3
6
TABLE III: GAO CONTACTS
---------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 1:4
7
Table I
Key Issues
Issue Significance
---------------------------- --------------------------------------------------
Industrial base: Is the The defense industrial and technology base is
industrial and technology downsizing in response to declines in DOD and
base being restructured to world markets. Mergers and acquisitions in the
best serve U.S. security defense industry continue while major defense
interests? conversion and adjustment programs are funded and
implemented. Concerns remain over maintaining
critical production and technology capabilities
for future national security needs. Concerns are
also being raised about the value of and returns
on multibillion dollar federal investments in
conversion programs.
Technology and As the defense industrial and technology base
competitiveness: downsizes, pressures increase to export and
Is defense technology being transfer more advanced, frontline weapons and
protected while promoting technologies to maintain the base and jobs. The
competitiveness? challenge is to promote exports that maintain
critical industrial capabilities and help reduce
unit costs of weapons for DOD while retaining
technological leadership and superiority.
Federal acquisition reform: The Federal Acquisition Streamlining Act requires
Are DOD and civil agencies GAO to evaluate the implementation of several
streamlining and improving provisions' of the act throughout the federal
their acquisition processes government. In addition, DOD has numerous
and practices while ensuring reengineering initiatives and pilot programs
that public funds are underway designed to further acquisition reform.
properly spent? At the same time, defense acquisition and contract
management remain high-risk areas for misuse of
billions of dollars in public funds.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Objectives Focus of work
---------------------------------------- --------------------------------------
--Evaluate whether DOD is retaining --Extent and progress in defense
critical technology and production downsizing
capabilities needed for national --Oversight and contributions of
security as downsizing takes place. Federally Funded Research and
Development Centers (FFRDCs)
--Assess whether defense conversion --Technology reinvestment projects and
programs designed to preserve national other defense conversion programs
security interests are cost-effective --Extent of and need for U.S.
and identify opportunities for savings. government support for defense
exports
--DOD's defense industrial base
initiatives
--Contribute to effective policies and --Foreign investments in U.S. defense
programs designed to maintain, promote, and key strategic industries and
and protect critical defense foreign countries' laws, policies, and
technologies while enhancing U.S. practices in this area
international competitiveness. --DOD's science and technology plan,
priorities, and spending
--Adequacy of international weapons
development and data exchange
agreements and U.S. export controls
--Nature and effects of offsets
connected with foreign military sales
--Evaluate implementation of government- --Mandated government-wide evaluations
wide acquisition reform legislation and of Federal Acquisition Streamlining
costs/benefits of new proposals. Act implementation
--Selected DOD initiatives to promote
--Identify best commercial practices for acquisition of commercial products and
the acquisition process. apply best practices
--Efforts to streamline DOD
acquisition organizations
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TABLE II: PLANNED MAJOR WORK
============================================================ Chapter 2
Issue Planned major job starts
---------------------------- --------------------------------------------------
Industrial base --Assess technology reinvestment projects
--Review Federally Funded Research and Development
Centers
--Assess defense industry downsizing
--Examine DOD's industrial base planning
Technology and --Analyze the changing nature and effects of
competitiveness offsets associated with foreign military sales
--Review foreign countries' laws, policies, and
practices regarding foreign investment in their
defense and key strategic industries
--Review export controls over stealth and other
critical military technologies
--Review international weapons codevelopment/data
exchange agreements
--Review science and technology spending
priorities
Federal acquisition reform --Evaluate government-wide Federal Acquisition
Streamlining Act regulations
--Assess electronic commerce implementation
government-wide and its costs/benefits
--Develop baseline data to assess results of
selected acquisition reform initiatives at key
federal buying activities
--Assess government-wide acquisition work force
downsizing and efforts to streamline DOD
acquisition organizations
--Review performance-based acquisition management
--Identify and evaluate selected DOD and industry
initiatives to use best commercial practices
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TABLE III: GAO CONTACTS
============================================================ Chapter 3
DIRECTOR
-------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 3:0.1
David E. Cooper (202) 512-4125
ASSISTANT DIRECTORS
-------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 3:0.2
C. David Childress
Davi M. D'Agostino
Les Farrington
John K. Harper
Charles F. Rey
Katherine V. Schinasi
Cliff Spruill
Kevin Tansey
Charles W. Thompson
Karen Zuckerstein
*** End of document. ***