Navy Auxiliary System Acquisition Analysis

Abstract

The Defense Industrial Base (DIB) is an ever-changing landscape that requires acquisition professionals to maintain vigilance over its climate. Ever since the mid-1990s, the DIB has shrunk substantially due to a variety of reasons. In this study, we focus on two Navy Auxiliary Systems: air conditioning and refrigeration (AC&R) and compressed air systems. Data gained through analysis of contracting history and from subject matter experts (SME) and in-service engineering agents (ISEA) are used to perform a sector by sector, tier by tier (S2T2) fragility and criticality (FaC) assessment of AC&R and compressed air systems. The assessment revealed that both AC&R and compressed air systems carry moderate risk. With both systems, it is important to avoid vendor lock with an aim to increase competition to optimize cost, schedule, and performance on future capabilities.