Partnerships: Customer-Supplier Relationships Can Be Improved Through
Partnering (Letter Report, 07/19/94, GAO/NSIAD-94-173).

GAO studied various cooperative, private sector business relationships
called "partnerships," Some company officials and consultants use the
analogy of a marriage to differentiate a partnership from a traditional
business relationship.  That is, a partnership among organizations is a
relationship requiring an understanding of each other's needs, common
goals, commitment, trust, communication, and a willingness to work
through problems. This report identifies (1) the decisionmaking process
for forming partnerships; (2) the practices used in managing these
relationships, including the contract terms that govern these
relationships and the safeguards needed to ensure accountability and
minimize risks; and (3) the benefits achieved from private sector
partnerships and the potential for benefits in the Defense Department.
GAO also determined whether companies in successful partnerships have
common characteristics.

--------------------------- Indexing Terms -----------------------------

 REPORTNUM:  NSIAD-94-173
     TITLE:  Partnerships: Customer-Supplier Relationships Can Be 
             Improved Through Partnering
      DATE:  07/19/94
   SUBJECT:  Defense procurement
             Defense cost control
             Procurement practices
             Non-government enterprises
             Comparative analysis
             Logistics
             Federal supply systems
             Internal controls
             Risk management
             Department of Defense contractors
IDENTIFIER:  Navy Fleet Ballistic Missile Program
             
************************************************************************

We regret that the full text of this item is presently unavailable.

See the GAO FAQ - Section 2.0 for printed copy ordering information.
The FAQ is automatically retrieved with all WAIS search results or 
can be obtained by sending e-mail to: [email protected]