Implementing Category Management Within the U.S. Marine Corps Logistics Command

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to conduct a spend analysis on the Marine Corps Logistics Command’s (MARCORLOGCOM) contracting spend data from Fiscal Year (FY) 2007 to FY 2022 to determine if category management (CM) can be implemented to improve the command's contracting procedures. CM is the purchasing strategy that the Department of Defense (DOD) has chosen to implement within its contracting organizations to increase the efficiency and to reduce costs associated with government purchasing. Although the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) directed the implementation of CM in 2014, it has yet to be fully integrated within all DOD contracting strategies. Our research analyzed MARCORLOGCOM's spend to identify trends with regard to product service codes (PSC), contract types, and contractors. Based on the implications of our research, we determined that although it appears MARCORLOGCOM has attempted to implement CM, there are opportunities for the command to expand its use of the strategy. We concluded our research with three recommendations for implementing CM within MARCORLOGCOM which included using multiple award indefinite delivery contracts (IDCs) rather than single award IDCs; expanding the use of IDCs; and increasing coordination, communication and organization among the command contracting units.