Acquisition with Digital Engineering

Abstract

Acquisition with Digital Engineering (DE) support, a.k.a. DE-enabled acquisition, cannot succeed as an engineering initiative pushed by engineers. It must be pulled into acquisition and sustainment by acquisition and sustainment functionals and fully integrated across all of their activities, including those that are not seen as technical. DE pilot efforts have demonstrated that it is fully possible to conduct government acquisition planning, contractor source selection, and engineering and manufacturing development in a shared Digital Engineering and Acquisition Ecosystem. This research conducted by the Acquisition Innovation Research Center (AIRC) developed a fundamental perspective and a set of recommendations for acquisition with DE. Research Issue Digital engineering is as fundamental a paradigm shift as the pathways in the Adaptive Acquisition Framework (AAF), affecting all pathways and supporting functions and enabling broad benefits in the transformation to Digital Acquisition. Digital engineering implementation and benefits involve and affect all acquisition functions—not just engineering and technical management.