For foreign military sales (FMS) non-program of record acquisition programs, the fms customer nation is responsible for developing, awarding, and executing the contract in accordance with their own contracting policies and procedures.
Affordability is most concerned with: -Making tradeoffs in performance and schedule to achieve cost objectives within affordability constraints. -Use of commercial design practices to save development and production costs. -Making tradeoffs that will provide the best possible system in the least amount of time.
Program-level exportability feasibility studies should be conducted as early as possible in a system's life cycle to assess the international market for potential cooperative programs, foreign sales, or transfers; identify the feasibility of designing and developing defense exportability features (DEF) for the system; and estimate potential return on investment from future international acquisition partnership and sales efforts.
The Air Force is in process of completing development on an upgrade to an existing fighter aircraft that will improve survivability and reliability. The contractor has provided the Government with detailed technical drawings and associated costs of the parts, materials, and labor required to produce the system.
When comparing two alternative concepts, you discover that both will provide the needed capabilities. Alternative 1 requires new development that will take 7 years and will cost more than the other alternative. alternative 2 can be developed in 4 years relying on proven joint capabilities technology demonstration technology. based on the information provided here, which is a better alternative?
one cost estimation method can be used in combination with another method.
Likely scenario: Time delays as everybody tries to figure out why the clause is there and what else is contingent upon it. An important component stops being delivered or a third-party contract lapses. Fingers start pointing to determine where the incompetence came from.
How to avoid it: Again, a fundamental tool in your contract management toolbox is centralised date management, alerting contract managers to key dates in plenty of time to enable informed decision-making.
A centralised contracts management system will require certain approvals before a contract can proceed through the system. Does your organisation have an insurance, securities, guarantees & escrow management function?
Worst-case scenario: Companies go bankrupt over missed deadlines. If other projects are contingent on successful completion of milestones or deliverables, a domino effect could cause those deals to fall over. Expensive litigation could cause an organisation to face financial and reputational ruin.
Many organisations typically deal with hundreds of contracts a day: from the single paragraph that covers the charity chocolates in the tearoom to tomes drafted by lawyers with contingencies, milestones, deadlines, conditions precedent and subsequent, limits and rules, deliverables and receivables. And while all contracts carry some element of risk, but some contracts are riskier than others.
Risk 1: A condition precedent isn’t met, or a sunset clause passes without action.
Best-case scenario: those who hold the necessary knowledge never retire or have holidays and are pro-active about sharing information. They have a meticulous filing system that everyone understands and can run with in case they are hit by a bus.