Qualification Requirement Perceptions of the United States Army Acquisition Workforce Since Implementation of the Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act (DAWIA)

Abstract

This project's purpose is to assess perceptions within the U.S. Army of qualification requirements of Army acquisition professionals since the Department of Defense implemented policies to conform to the Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act passed by Congress in November 1990. This project's objective is to analyze the acquisition workforce perceptions of training requirements instituted by the Defense Acquisition University for professional certification in the acquisition functional areas and to determine if these requirements are perceived as an adequate technical baseline of knowledge and experience that ensures that professionals will be more effective members of the acquisition Integrated Product Team. These perceptions were collected through visits to respective centers for excellence, from interviews, and from surveys of both military and civilian acquisition professionals. We acquired data from the U.S. Army Acquisition Support Center and the Defense Acquisition University, as well as surveys and interviews of acquisition leadership with a range of experience and positions.