Army Contracting Command Workforce Model Analysis

Abstract

The increasing pace of change in the federal acquisition environment coupled with a new emphasis on contracting accessions have increased the interest in the models utilized by the DoD to (1) measure the contracting workload, and (2) assign adequate resources to effectively manage the workload with an acceptable level of risk. Numerous acquisition studies and commissions have cited personnel management as one of the most critical factors contributing to the success or failure of buying organizations. Strategic human capital management and DoD contract management have been on the Government Accountability Office (GAO) High-risk List for the last several years. Actions made toward understanding the optimal size and capabilities of the acquisition workforce are a first step toward the development and execution of an integrated strategic human capital management plan. Moreover, joint basing and Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) requirements to merge and consolidate some contracting offices increase the importance of moving toward a workforce model that is applicable in the joint environment. The primary goal of this report is to identify differing methods used to assess workload and staffing in Army contracting organizations, as well as in the Department of Defense (DoD), Federal Civilian, and other commercial contracting organizations. This report identifies the key elements of various DoD Services contracting workforce staffing models. Furthermore, it investigates the rationale and assumptions utilized to develop these models. The validity and applicability of the rationale and assumptions to the current acquisition environment are discussed. This research investigates each of the Services workload and resource assessment methodologies in the operational (and in some cases weapon system) contracting environments. Comparisons and contrasts of the various methodologies are discussed. In addition, industry practices in measuring workload and procurement organization production are reviewed. Opportunities to incorporate or adapt industry standards are discussed. Secondary research goals include identifying potential opportunities whereby the existing methodologies can be used to more accurately capture the amount and nature of the work performed by contracting organizations; to ensure that the complexity of the work being performed at various stages within the contract process are reflected in the workload models; and to ensure that the level and quality of work is reflected in performance measurement models.