Report of the Defense Science Board Task Force on Improvements to Services Contracting

Abstract

The task force findings include many issues related to the complexity, span, and scope of services contracting not just in the range of dollars involved, but also in types of activities contracted for. A better understanding of these issues is needed and the right data about them needs to be tracked to conduct relevant trend and performance analysis. The report also makes useful recommendations in specific areas, such as the definition of inherently governmental functions and services contracting in support of contingency operations. The report suggests many helpful actions to address these issues in the areas of policies and procedures, leadership, and training, but no one-size-fits-all solutions exist.