Track 3 Session 3
1:00 to 2:00 p.m. Tuesday June 9, 2009

Implementing the Materiel Availability KPP in DoD Acquisition Programs: Balancing Life-Cycle Costs with Warfighter Needs

Recent DoD acquisition policy changes intended to ensure program affordability and suitability have been met with varying degrees of acceptance throughout the services. In May 2007, new guidance was issued to implement a mandatory Sustainment Metric consisting of a Materiel Availability Key Performance Parameter (KPP) and two supporting Key Systems Attributes (KSAs): Materiel Reliability and Ownership Cost. This guidance requires acquisition programs under development to create a balance between Reliability, Availability and Maintainability (RAM) performance in the field and the related costs of providing that performance. This is a significant paradigm shift within the acquisition community that, once fully implemented, will result in significant improvement in value for major acquisition programs.