Is 2010 the Year Army Acquisitions Turned the Corner to Affordability?

Abstract

Since 2012, the Department of Defense (DOD) and Government Accountability Office (GAO) have observed lower cost growth in the acquisition of the largest weapon systems. Although the acquisition environment is complex, much of the success is being attributed to the management program, Better Buying Power (BBP). BBP was first introduced in 2010 by the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics (USD[AT&L]) and it provides best practices for the acquisition community with the goal of achieving affordability. Since 2010, two more iterations of BBP have been initiated, highlighting lessons learned and additional areas of focus. Along with the published guidance is continuous oversight from the highest levels of acquisition authority. Our project analyzed multiple programs and examined their compliance with BBP and other acquisition best practices. Using available cost data and program documentation, we analyzed how the implementation of BBP has affected affordability measures of the programs. While the cost data is encouraging, we could only conclude that there is a correlation between implementing BBP and the reduction in cost growth observed.