Description
Organization: NAVAIR
Team Name: Policy and Process Management Team
Related Acquisition Topic(s): Acquisition Practices Streamlining, Business Process Reengineering (BPR), Paperless Contracting
Description:
The Naval Air System Command (NAVAIR), Contracts Competency, Policy and Process Management Department (AIR-2.1) has moved to the forefront in Acquisition excellence over the last year. Serving as an acquisition center of excellence, this group has undertaken efforts to enhance continuous improvement, reengineer processes and move towards paperless acquisition. AIR-2.1 is responsible for policy, process, information, financial and personnel resource management for the NAVAIR Contracts Competency (AIR-2.0). They support a 900 person organization awarding over 8,000 actions (greater than $25K) procuring over $10 billion of aviation systems and support annually.
Major Acquisition Processes Promoting Continuous Improvement:
PROCUREMENT PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT ASSESSMENT PROGRAM (PPMAP): AIR-2.1 successfully incorporated the ASN (RD&A) DASN (Acq) PPMAP process into the Competency's Management Plan. The PPMAP is a self-assessment approach that replaces the previous Procurement Management Review (PMR) process. NAVAIR utilizes a "balanced scorecard" approach to measure performance, with a strong emphasis on customer and employee survey feedback. During 1998, an advanced analytical software tool was incorporated to allow trend analysis (using advanced decision formulation methodologies, such as pairwise assessment) and to develop an overall satisfaction index from survey results. AIR-2.1 shared our expertise while participating in the PPMAP reviews of both NAVSEA and NAVFAC in 1998. The overall goal of the process is to continuously assess and improve the performance of the Competency.
CONTRACTOR PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT REPORTING SYSTEM (CPARS): NAVAIR was first in the Navy to embrace CPARS and initiate it for systems contracts in advance of Navy-wide guidance. NAVAIR maintained a central library of completed assessments prior to automation of the system and provided CPARS training and training material templates to other Navy components. NAVAIR took the lead in pilot testing the Navy automated system. NAVAIR was first in the Navy to have completed assessments in the live system. Throughout implementation, NAVAIR has worked closely with industry. AIR-2.1, brokered the partnership between PMA-290 and Lockheed-Martin for a test pilot on the S-3 contracts to promote a common understanding of past performance measurement under CPARS. AIR-2.1 also expanded the scope of the CPARS implementation, including services and other non-systems contracts, developing training videos distributed throughout the TEAM, providing automation training, and setting up a help desk to answer both policy and technical questions. AIR-2.1 has recommended numerous enhancements of the automated system and currently, through its role on the CPARS Management Board, is recommending improvements for contractor access levels. As the designated lead for NAVAIR, AIR-2.1 received two letters from 00 commending their efforts during Acquisition Reform week and the Acquisition Reform Roadshow where CPARS was a featured topic for an industry/government audience.
Process Reengineering Efforts: SOURCE SELECTION POLICY REENGINEERING: AIR-2.1 orchestrated a major re-write of the NAVAIR Source Selection Policy Instruction. This instruction reflects the command's commitment to continuous improvement by implementing regulatory changes and lessons learned in a common set of principles and procedures for competitive negotiated acquisitions conducted by the Naval Aviation Systems Team. The revised source selection instruction fully exploits the opportunities offered by the final regulatory implementation of the Federal Acquisition Streamlining Act of 1994 and the Federal Acquisition Reform Act of 1996 (the new FAR Part 15 rewrite) governing negotiated acquisition. In addition, the instruction will be a tool to standardize source selection practices applied nationally across NAVAIR's competency-aligned organization, promoting innovation and creativity in a disciplined fashion. Institutionalized standard evaluation rating and risk assessment definitions, standard source selection organizational structures depending upon the magnitude of the acquisition, CPARS as a means of utilizing past performance information, use of oral presentations, etc., in NAVAIR's source selection process via its source selection instruction.
Automated Acquisition Efforts:
AUTOMATED ACQUISITION INFORMATION: AIR-2.1 has established a home page at WWW.NAVAIR.NAVY.MIL\Contracts for the electronic posting of instructions and policy and planning memorandums. This has facilitated the dissemination of critical acquisition information throughout a geographically dispersed organization.
STANDARD PROCUREMENT SYSTEM/EA21: AIR-2.1 has provided vital leadership to the on-going success of the Navy's development, deployment, and implementation of the Standard Procurement System. The NAVAIR SPS group has served as the Navy lead for SPS. NAVAIR's focus groups and its initiation of risk analysis investigation have led to an identification of strengths and weaknesses of the various SPS versions. These efforts have allowed the SPS PMO to focus improvement efforts to specific tasks and further to plan incremental improvements in future software releases. Without the efforts of this group the Navy-wide progress to date would not have been possible.
SOURCE SELECTION AUTOMATION: AIR-2.1 played a crucial role leading to the construction for a state-of-the-art source selection facility at NAS Patuxent River (3,800 sq. ft. facility valued at over $400k). The facility will support both formal and informal electronic source selections for NAVAIR Headquarters and NAWC Aircraft Division. The facility will have four 25 and four 8 workstation rooms. Each station will be outfitted with computers in order to facilitate electronic source selection on stand-alone LANs. The rooms will also be configured to accommodate electronic acquisition training when the rooms are not being used for source selection purposes.
1998 CPARS Implementation Metrics: Calendar Year Completed CPARS Notes 1997 6 All Manual 1998 101 81 (80%) Automated 241 (in process) Over 50% Automated 2. 1998 Standard Procurement System (SPS) Implementation Metrics: a. 100% of NAVAIR's 9 TEAM Sites have the current version of SPS installed. b. 1,029 SPS users at NAVAIR have been trained. This represents 74% of 1400 licensed users. c. In September 1998, the NAVAIR TEAM (includes all sites) achieved Initial Operational Capability (IOC) status from the Navy CMO. NAVAIR is the first major System Command to reach IOC for both Headquarters and site activities.
