Make sure there are the right number of alternatives. A 2009 GAO report on defense procurement attributes premature concentration or convergence to a particular solution or range of solutions such as a failure of AoAs [5]. If stakeholders are already in love with a particular solution, it can be difficult to complete an unbiased AoA. A close focus or attention to a particular solution makes AoA ineffective for decision-making and often indicates an increased risk in the resulting program. Finally, the AoA plan should focus on the organization and management of the AoA study. Often, the AoA is conducted by a working group (study team) led by a study leader and staffed by a diverse workforce consisting of a diverse mix of military, civilian and contract personnel. Program offices or similar organizations may provide support or data to the AoA study team, but responsibility for the AoA cannot be assigned to a program manager, and study team members must not reside in a program office. In some cases, the AoA can be assigned to an internal analytical organization, a government-funded research and development center, or a similar organization. (9) Contract type, product and service code(s) and North American Industry Classification System code(s); and (d) coordination. When developing the AoA, the contract agent coordinates with his or her respective organization the procurement policy at the service level, the responsible category manager(s) and the OSDBU. The basic rules described in the analysis plan include scenarios and threats, as well as the assumed physical environment and any limitations or additional assumptions. Scenarios are typically derived from defense planning scenarios and associated joint deployment plans, supplemented by more detailed reconnaissance products such as target information and enemy and friendly orders of battle.

Environmental factors that influence operations (e.B climate, weather or terrain) are also important. In addition, environmental, security, health and safety factors related to the use of chemical and/or biological weapons may need to be considered as deviations from baseline scenarios. (c) development deadlines. An AoA should usually be developed at least 18 to 24 months before it is awarded. Before developing an AoA, the Contractor must follow its service level procedures and the process described in paragraph 504.71 to notify the SPE and, if necessary, schedule a review of the acquisition. (10) Identification of the applicable OMB justification code and justification of the reasons why a particular level of contract is not appropriate (e.g. B in the case of proposed Category 0 acquisitions, an explanation of why Category 1, Category 2 and Category 3 solutions are not suitable); Ensure appropriate risk analysis. The GAO reports that some AoAs do not investigate risks at all and focus only on operational efficiency and the cost of alternatives.

Other AoAs have relatively limited risk assessments. For example, several AoAs did not contain integration risks, although the potential solution included modified business systems that would require the integration of subsystems or devices. The GAO cited a Defense Science Board (DSB) report on the purchase of commercial defense systems. Programs that did not assess the systemic and programmatic risks of alternatives associated with the militarization of commercial platforms or the integration of various commercial components underestimated the actual costs. Other AoAs have not examined the timing risks of the various alternatives, despite the acceleration of schedules and field dates for programs. Not surprisingly, the GAO found that programs that conducted a comprehensive risk assessment tended to have better cost and schedule results than programs that did not [5]. For more information about identifying and managing risks, see Risk Management and the articles in this SEG section. Anticipate data issues. The analysis of a wide range of solutions involves the collection and development of a significant amount of information about representative solutions as well as other contextual details/supporting information (e.B. specific guidelines, regulatory environment). It is important to develop credible datasets in support of an AoA.

Develop a data collection plan and create backup plans in case of data access issues, especially if the AoA schedule is aggressive/compressed. Consider data sources from industry, government, contractor and/or FFRDC and/or industry and FFRDC. Realistic assumptions that go into an AoA are that not all information is available and workarounds are needed. Be persistent! (2) Agency-wide expenditures by FSS, FSS BPA and certain other GSA IDIQ contract vehicles; (8) identify, where applicable, existing contracts and explain why they are not an appropriate solution; Alternative Analysis (AoA) is an important part of the defense procurement process. An AoA is an analytical comparison of the operational effectiveness, relevance, and life-cycle costs of alternatives that meet established capacity requirements. After the decision to develop materials, the AoA is initiated to study potential material solutions, with the aim of identifying the most promising option and thus leading the analysis phase of the material solution. Subsequently, an update to the AoA is initiated as required or ordered by the AED at the beginning of the technology maturation and risk mitigation phase and reviewed in Stage B (which is typically the first major funding commitment for the acquisition program). The updated AoA will serve to refine the proposed hardware solution and reaffirm the cost-effectiveness rationale for launching the program into the formal system acquisition process.

For Major Defense Acquisition Programs at Milestone A, the Milestone Decision Authority (MDA) must certify in writing to Congress that the department has completed an AoA that complies with the study guidelines developed by the Director, Costing and Program Evaluation (CFPOD) and meets other certification criteria. For major defense acquisition programs at Milestone B, the MDA must certify in writing to Congress that the department has completed an AoA with respect to the program in addition to other certification criteria. The AoA will be updated at Milestone C as required. Normally, the final results of the AoA are initially presented in the form of a series of information sessions. For potential and designated major defence procurement programs (Procurement Category (ACAT) I), the final results of the AoA will be made available to the Office of the Director, Costing and Program Evaluation (CAPE) no later than 60 days prior to the milestone decision meeting (Defence Procurement Board or Information Technology Acquisition Board Review). It is advisable to provide CAPE with the new results prior to the final information session to ensure that there are no unexpected issues. For other programs, the results of the AoA should be made available to the doD component in accordance with CAPE, if necessary. In any case, the final results of the AoA must follow all important aspects of the program and support the results of the AoA with the presentation.

In particular, all these conclusions and results of the AoA should flow logically from the supporting analysis. (2) An AoA may be required for any proposed acquisition at any dollar value for a Level 2 Government-Wide Acquisition Contract (GGA) or a multi-agency contract that is not a GWAC or a Federal Supply Schedule (FSS) Global Purchase Agreement (BPA). Definition: In defence communities, Alternative Analysis (AoA) is « an analytical comparison of the operational effectiveness, relevance, risk and life-cycle costs (or total cost of ownership, if applicable) of alternatives that meet validated capability requirements » [1]. AoAs document the reasons for identifying and recommending one or more preferred solutions. DoD components must enable ODCAPE once the component knows that they likely need an AoA. Ideally, this should start with the DoD component initiating an analysis to determine the requirements. B for example a capacity-based assessment. Early collaboration and dialogue will help expedite the publication of study guides and minimize the time it takes to reach an approved program. DoD Components should program the funds needed to conduct AoAs so that funds are available to perform these analyses.

If contractual support is required to perform an AoA, DoD Components must initiate the contracting process in a timely manner to begin the AoA on time. DoD components need to identify and begin the process of sourcing long-lead items required to perform AoA so that analysis can begin in a timely manner. .