An Analysis of the Defense Acquisition Strategy for Unmanned Systems

Abstract

In September 2011, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) published a proficiency training guide, titled 51C/1102 Proficiency Guide for Construction, Architect-Engineer, & Contingency Contracting, for military contingency contracting officers (MCCOs) and 1102 interns within the USACE. The training guide groups contracting tasks into four subject areas, encompassing 45 separate contracting tasks in all. The research team of this report supplemented the USACE training guide by providing a proficiency assessment test (PAT) based on the 51C/1102 Proficiency Guide to assist mentors of MCCOs and 1102 interns with a tool for standardizing a way for MCCOs/1102s to demonstrate proficiency of individual tasks. The objectives of the project include the development and implementation of a pilot PAT of select contracting tasks followed by a comprehensive written PAT used as a tool to measure proficiency for each of the 45 individual tasks. The research team vetted questions through experienced USACE MCCOs and subject-matter experts. These experts also assisted the team by providing valuable feedback about their participation in the pilot PAT. After incorporating feedback from the sponsor, the research team provided the USACE with a final PAT that encompassed nearly 800 questions to measure the proficiency of the 45 individual tasks.