Description
Organization: NAVSEA, PMS0395
Team Name: Atmospheric Dive System (ADS) Team
Related Acquisition Topic(s): Commercial and Non Developmental Items (CANDI), Cost As an Independent Variable (CAIV), Integrated Product Teams (IPT), Partnering, Simulation Based Acquisition
Description:
NAVSEA PMS395 is currently procuring a total of 4 Atmospheric Dive Systems (ADS) as part of the Submarine Rescue Diving and Recompression System (SRDRS). The SRDRS is currently in Phase II (Engineering and Manufacturing Development) of the acquisition process. The ADS is a hard diving suit that allows a pilot to dive to depths up to 2000 fsw without the adverse effects of sea pressure. Initially, PMS395 attempted to purchase the ADS as a Commercial-Off-the-Shelf product from a private company called Hard Suits. One Newtsuit was purchased and evaluated by a Navy Field Activity - Coastal Systems Station (CSS). The evaluation concluded the product had minor flaws but great potential to become a valuable Navy tool. Specifically, the Newtsuit could not meet all of the Navy mission and certification requirements, including a desire for a deep operating depth. The vendor was likewise interested in a deeper operating depth and an expanded commercial market and was thus willing to "Team" with the Navy for an improved design that would meet both parties' needs. This is a win-win arrangement as the vendor obtains an improved commercial product, and the Navy is able to benefit from the vendor's baseline design and this new commercial product's infrastructure.
By working with the vendor, the Navy was not starting from scratch. Although it is not possible to determine precisely how much money starting with the vendor's design saved, this approach clearly was the most cost effective. As an example, the vendor's articulating joints may have taken the Navy years of research and development and millions of dollars to produce.
PMS395 established an Integrated Product Team (IPT), with members consisting of the Resource Sponsor, Program Office, Navy Field Activity, Vendor, and End User. As a result, the End Users were able to communicate their needs, the Vendor was able to offer the knowledge it had accumulated in the industry, and the Navy Field Activity was able to offer its engineering expertise. The Resource Sponsor's attendance proved to be very valuable, as he was able to fully understand the financial situation and provide assistance when needed. The Program Office implemented policies of acquisition reform including Cost as an Independent Variable (CAIV) techniques, non development initiatives (NDI), use of performance specifications, non-destructive testing, and sharing of industry production processes. Commercial specifications were used in lieu of military specifications, wherever possible. This was done, in part, to expand the vendor's commercial market to the maximum extent possible, to create a larger support infrastructure that the Navy can cost effectively take advantage of.
The program used extensive computer modeling to ensure the suit could meet the structural integrity requirements. In doing this, the first article product, which was strain gauge tested, was able to be delivered to the Navy as an operational asset. By avoiding destructive testing of the first suit, a savings of approximately $1.5M was realized.
Drastic efforts were made to reduce the Total Ownership Costs (TOC). An innovative approach was used to reduce the Objective Quality Evidence (OQE) requirements of the certification process. By spending extra time analyzing the safety impacts of each part, the Navy was able to reduce the amount of OQE required without sacrificing safety. Thus, the extra money spent evaluating the parts will be the equivalent of an investment with the return being the savings realized from the decreased amount of OQE required during the life cycle management process.
The Navy was able to obtain an improved product by convincing the vendor to switch from castings to forgings for the pressure hull parts. A proven forging configuration was utilized for all parts to avoid the first article test requirements of unproven configurations. Although difficult to estimate, the savings realized from not having to conduct first article testing is significant.
The first suit was delivered to the Navy in 1998 and has undergone training in a 20 foot pool. Prior to training, three certification surveys were conducted. All deficiencies reported were determined to be correctable. The vendor was awarded a contract to build three additional suits which are currently being fabricated. Delivery of the follow-on suits is scheduled for July, 2000.
