scholarly journals Can We Explain Cost Growth in Major Defense Acquisition Programs?

2022 ◽  
Vol 29 (99) ◽  
pp. 2-20
Author(s):  
David McNicol
Keyword(s):  
Intellectual Property ◽  
Good Explanation ◽  
Recent Model ◽  
Conventional Wisdom ◽  
Growth Data ◽  
Defense Acquisition ◽  
Adequate Theory ◽  
Concrete Form ◽  
Cost Growth

This question asked in this article is whether the shared intellectual property of the acquisition community includes an adequate theory of cost growth in major defense acquisition programs (MDAPs). This question is given concrete form by cost growth data for 123 MDAPs. These data are grouped into categories, which range from very small—negative, in fact—cost growth to cost growth in excess of 100%. Potential explanations for this broad range of cost growth considered are: the conventional wisdom about cost growth; a recent RAND study that closely examined cases at both ends of the distribution, along with some possible extensions of that study; and a recent model of the root causes of cost growth. The author argues that each of these falls short; in particular, it seems that the defense acquisition community at large does not have a good explanation of cost growth in the broad range of 30% to 100%.

scholarly journals Sources of Weapon System Cost Growth: Analysis of 35 Major Defense Acquisition Programs

10.7249/mg670 ◽  
2008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph Bolten ◽  
Robert Leonard ◽  
Mark Arena ◽  
Obaid Younossi ◽  
Jerry Sollinger
Keyword(s):  
Growth Analysis ◽  
Weapon System ◽  
Defense Acquisition ◽  
System Cost ◽  
Cost Growth

scholarly journals Exploring Performance in Air Force Science and Technology Programs

2021 ◽  
Vol 28 (98) ◽  
pp. 420-451
Author(s):  
Eric Plack ◽  
Jonathan Ritschel ◽  
Edward White ◽  
Clay Koschnick ◽  
Scott Drylie
Keyword(s):  
Air Force ◽  
Initial Phase ◽  
Science And Technology ◽  
Success Factor ◽  
Critical Success Factor ◽  
Defense Acquisition ◽  
Critical Success ◽  
Cost Growth ◽  
The Government ◽  
The Impact

Science and technology (S&T) programs serve an important function in the defense acquisition process as the initial phase leading to discovery and development of warfighting technology. The results of these programs impact the larger major defense acquisition programs, which integrate the technologies in subsequent phases of the life cycle. Despite this important role, little prior research has examined the performance of S&T programs. In this study, the authors investigate the impact of technological maturation as a critical success factor in Air Force S&T programs. The results suggest that S&T programs with mature technologies are more likely to experience above average cost growth and larger contract values while less likely to experience schedule growth. Additionally, the authors find the partnership method between the government and contractor matters for both technological maturation and schedule growth. Lastly, the nature of the S&T program is important, with aerospace programs more likely to technologically mature than human systems programs.

A Mixed-Method Analysis of Schedule and Cost Growth in Defense Acquisition Programs

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Atharva Hans ◽  
Ashish M. Chaudhari ◽  
Ilias Bilionis ◽  
Jitesh H. Panchal
Keyword(s):  
Mixed Method ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Acquisition Time ◽  
Defense Acquisition ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Cost Growth ◽  
Access Database ◽  
Financial Characteristics ◽  
Acquisition Processes ◽  
Method Analysis

Abstract Cost and schedule overruns are common in the procurement of large-scale defense acquisition programs. Current work focuses on identifying the root causes of cost growth and schedule delays in the defense acquisition programs. There is need for a mix of quantitative and qualitative analysis of cost and schedule overruns which takes into account program factor such as, technology maturity, design maturity, initial acquisition time, and program complexity. Such analysis requires an easy to access database for program-specific data about how an acquisition programs’ technical and financial characteristics vary over the time. To fulfill this need, the objective of this paper is twofold: (i) to develop a database of major US defense weapons programs which includes details of the technical and financial characteristics and how they vary over time, and (ii) to test various hypotheses about the interdependence of such characteristics using the collected data. To achieve the objective, we use a mixed-method analysis on schedule and cost growth data available in the U.S. Government Accountability Office’s (GAO’s) defense acquisitions annual assessments during the period 2003–2017. We extracted both analytical and textual data from original reports into Excel files and further created an easy to access database accessible from a Python environment. The analysis reveals that technology immaturity is the major driver of cost and schedule growth during the early stages of the acquisition programs while technical inefficiencies drive cost overruns and schedule delays during the later stages. Further, we find that the acquisition programs with longer initial length do not necessarily have higher greater cost growth. The dataset and the results provide a useful starting point for the research community for modeling cost and schedule overruns, and for practitioners to inform their systems acquisition processes.

scholarly journals Exploring Performance in Air Force Science and Technology Programs

2021 ◽  
Vol 28 (98) ◽  
pp. 420-451
Author(s):  
MSgt Eric A. Plack ◽  
Jonathan D. Ritschel ◽  
Edward D. White ◽  
Lt Col Clay M. Koschnick ◽  
Lt Col Scott T. Drylie
Keyword(s):  
Air Force ◽  
Initial Phase ◽  
Science And Technology ◽  
Success Factor ◽  
Critical Success Factor ◽  
Defense Acquisition ◽  
Critical Success ◽  
Cost Growth ◽  
The Government ◽  
The Impact

Science and technology (S&T) programs serve an important function in the defense acquisition process as the initial phase leading to discovery and development of warfighting technology. The results of these programs impact the larger Major Defense Acquisition Programs, which integrate the technologies in subsequent phases of the life cycle. Despite this important role, little prior research has examined the performance of S&T programs. In this study, the authors investigate the impact of technological maturation as a critical success factor in Air Force S&T programs. The results suggest that S&T programs with mature technologies are more likely to experience above average cost growth and larger contract values while less likely to experience schedule growth. Additionally, the authors find the partnership method between the government and contractor matters for both technological maturation and schedule growth. Lastly, the nature of the S&T program is important, with aerospace programs more likely to technologically mature than human systems programs.

scholarly journals Beyond Refusal to Deal: A Cross-Atlantic View of Copyright, Competition and Innovation Policies

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ariel Katz
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Intellectual Property ◽  
Copyright Protection ◽  
The United States ◽  
Copyright Law ◽  
Conventional Wisdom ◽  
Antitrust Law ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Antitrust Regulation ◽  
External Check

Conventional wisdom holds that the European Union has opted to apply its competition law to the exercise of intellectual property rights to a much greater extent than has the United States. We argue that, at least in the context of copyright protection, this conventional wisdom is false. While European antitrust regulation of refusal to license one's intellectual property does seem much more robust and activist than U.S. antitrust regulation of similar conduct, focusing solely on one narrow aspect of antitrust doctrine — the treatment of a unilateral refusal to deal — tells less than half the story.Once various doctrines of copyright law are taken into account, the substantive difference between the European and American approaches not only narrows, but in some key respects is reversed. While European jurisdictions have relatively expansive copyright protection which may require antitrust intervention to check anti-competitive uses of copyrighted works, American copyright law provides stronger internal limits on copyright protection, which thereby lessens the need for resort to antitrust law as an external check on anti-competitive uses of copyrighted works. Furthermore, when the broader impact that antitrust law might have on the exercise of IPRs in the United States is considered (not only in substance, but also in antitrust process), it becomes apparent that in key respects, when innovative-competition is at stake, U.S. law grants overall weaker copyright protection than that available in Europe. We also explain why the two jurisdictions have adopted distinct approaches to resolving similar problems and evaluate those approaches.

Ideas, Expressions, Universals, and Particulars

2011 ◽  
pp. 99-112
Author(s):  
Thomas M. Powers
Keyword(s):  
Intellectual Property ◽  
Copyright Protection ◽  
Case Law ◽  
Copyright Law ◽  
Good Explanation ◽  
Literary Works ◽  
Philosophical Debate ◽  
Major Topic ◽  
Fixed Media ◽  
Software Program

The distinction in U.S. copyright law between ideas and their expressions is of particular importance in protecting software. In literary works and software alike, the ideas that underlie these forms of intellectual property do not enjoy copyright protection, whereas the tangible expressions of the ideas, in fixed media and of sufficient originality, can have copyright protection. The idea vs. expression distinction has been the focus of many cases in the courts, especially where there was an alleged infringement of non-literal parts of a software program, such as “structure, sequence, and organization” or “look and feel.” I argue that this legal distinction relies on the metaphysical distinction between universals and particulars, one that has been a major topic of philosophical controversy for over two millennia. The unsettled nature of the philosophical debate serves as a good explanation of the meandering of case law in this area.

scholarly journals Analysis of Military Construction Cost Growth in USAF Major Defense Acquisition Programs

2020 ◽  
Vol 27 (92) ◽  
pp. 168-193
Author(s):  
Capt Emily E. Angell ◽  
Dr. Edward D. White ◽  
Dr. Jonathan D. Ritschel ◽  
Dr. Alfred E. Thal
Keyword(s):  
Cost Savings ◽  
Defense Acquisition ◽  
Program Cost ◽  
Project Costs ◽  
Cost Growth ◽  
Total Program ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Initial Results ◽  
Negative Growth ◽  
Military Construction

This study uses descriptive and inferential statistics to identify cost growth Analysis of Military Construction of military construction (MILCON) at the programmatic level, while bridging the gap between Selected Acquisition Report (SAR) estimates and actual project costs. Findings of this study aid the cost community with appropriate allocation of resources in developing these estimates. Overall, Major Defense Acquisition Programs (MDAP) appear to experience more negative growth (cost savings) in MILCON estimates on reviewed SARs— typically less than 0.2% of the total program cost. SAR estimates became more accurate from the first to last SAR in comparison to the total MILCON programmed for all projects within a program. However, the last SAR’s median MILCON cost estimate was approximately $31 million underestimated on projects currently authorized and appropriated for MDAPs. Preliminary research was restricted to 32 programs of which only 10 had authorized and accessible projects for comparison. Initial results suggest building on this exploratory analysis.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document