Issue 127 - 14 Dec 98
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DoN ARO RELEASES SERVICE CONTRACTING DESK GUIDE
The Department of the Navy (DoN) Acquisition Reform Office has released a World Wide Web (WWW)-based service contracting desk guide intended for use throughout the Department. Release of this new desk guide is aimed at improving service contracting. Bill Mackinson, Director, Pre-Award Support Activity at the DoN's Acquisition Center of Excellence points out, "Service contracting will become more important as outsourcing continues to increase." In fiscal year 1997, the DoN spent over $19 billion dollars, fifty-seven percent of its total contractual obligations, for services.
During the past four years, much of the DoN's focus has been on weapons systems acquisition and systemic change such as the elimination of military specifications and standards. Top Department of Defense (DoD) officials recognized the need to focus on the improvement of contracting for services early in 1998. Within the report sent to Congress by the Secretary of Defense in response to Section 912(c) of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1998, Secretary Cohen called for establishing training in service contracting under his broader initiative of increasing acquisition workforce education and training. The full text of the DoD report is available on the WWW [www.acq.osd.mil/ar/912crpt.htm].
Content for the service contracting desk guide was developed based on a review of recent solicitations issued by fourteen different contracting organizations (including four international and two US Marine Corps offices). Discussions were also held with Government and industry personnel who are actively engaged in service contracting. The resulting guide takes a practical, hands-on, perspective to service contracting providing multiple samples. It contains a summary of regulations and public policy as well as a primer on statements of work and performance-based service contracting.
The author of the guide, William A. John, formerly with the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR), says the purpose of the service contracting desk guide is to "provide a forum for the exchange of ideas, lessons learned, concerns, and best practices."
The DoN plans to continuously improve and update the guide. All users are encouraged to provide input for use in future editions. The guide is available on ABM Online, the DoN Acquisition and Business Management WWW site [www.abm.rda.hq.navy.mil/sc_guide/index.html].
