DoD has procured weapon systems in the past without regard for the resources required to support and maintain the system. As the services procured weapons, they tended to focus on performance parameters such as the ability of a fighter aircraft to execute sharp turns or the ability of a weapon to fire long distances.
But weapon systems with top notch performance profiles are of little use to the combatant commanders if those weapon systems are not available for use when the commander needs them, or the services cannot afford to support them once fielded. As weapon systems progress from the conceptual stage to the design stage, Site Visit Executive must balance performance needs of the Warfighter with operational availability requirements
Once the system is fielded, actual performance tracking enables corrective actions and adjustments to the product support package as required to achieve Warfighter requirements and to control O&S costs. This is accomplished by continually comparing performance against requirements, defined as thresholds; and expectations, defined as objectives.
Actual equipment and product support performance metrics are used, improving product support strategies to meet field use requirements. This includes updating the assessments to examine actual versus predicted cost and performance, supply chain processes based on actual values to help balance logistics support through a thorough review of readiness degraders, maintenance info, maintenance capability, and product support process implementation.
For example, reliability metrics captured through the maintenance process can be compared, using reliability modeling, to specified system reliability. Those components that are critical reliability drivers can then be submitted for review to determine the most cost-effective risk mitigation strategies.
Must focus on optimising maintenance workload tracking across the enterprise and at Sustainment Centre level across all complexes by serving as a single entry point to outside customers with capability to identify workload capabilities and shortfalls across the enterprise and use this information to pursue new/repatriated workload.
An improved, single-interface solution will serve to share backshop and local manufacturing workload solutions among the complexes, reduce costs, accelerate feedback loops, and develop greater local manufacturing agility
.
Must have a robust and agile single-interface solution that provides optimum visibility and improvement opportunities for the Maintenance Repair/Overhaul enterprise based on capabilities and capacities utilising the guidance reflected in the Technology Repair Centre construct.
Logistics Complexes operate with some different business processes creating conditions where complex cannot provide standardised guidance. Does not have optimum visibility of capability, capacity, or cost across enterprise.
There are many programmes, processes and offices working multiple issues related to capacity, manpower workload and so on, but no aggregated metrics to allow assessments at the complex level. Assessments are performed in a variety of efforts throughout the enterprise but they do not use the same methodology.
Even if complex had good metrics on capability and capacity, the lack of common equipment and tools makes temporary shifts to balance back shop and local manufacturing workload very difficult.
Well-designed enterprise-level Strategic Sustainment Frameworks are required to provide an overall site picture of current and future workload in areas such as backlog of workloads, surplus capacity, manpower requirements by skills, facilities capabilities, machine capabilities and space requirements.
Complex is at risk of discarding essential equipment and skill sets without Strategic Sustainment Teams in place to review in-house repair shop capabilities and verify interdependent capabilities are retained before restructures or consolidations. There is no enterprise level strategy in place to review any potential short or long-term workload reassignments. Repatriation efforts are not prioritised based on enterprise wide needs.
Description attribute focuses on the technology and processes to source and approve/certify the correct parts, where and when needed, delivered timely and at cost, regardless of the source of procurement. Sources are Logistics contract repair, local manufacturing, “the boneyard” or Maintenance/Regeneration Group, surplus sources, and Defense or commercial suppliers.
Key aspects influence include: defining requirements accurately, forecasting accuracy, 100% visibility of all inventories, discrepant materials handling, rapid manufacture or innovative supply of parts to include high volume and one-off or dated parts, agility in the rapid certification of industry/Complex local manufacturing sources, upholding/improving quality and maintaining parts integrity, and configuration.
Must identify and track each aircraft, part, or end item status, expected lifetime, and component information to demonstrate integrity and ensure forward looking, protected, viable, and supply chains amid constantly changing risks.
Current Attribute Problem/Shortfall/Limitations of Parts Availability Programmes predicated on mitigating risk assessments is challenging due to insufficient/uncorrelated forecasting and because current methods do not interface or easily incorporate aircraft or commodity-specific info gathered by such methods as pre-induction inspections, nondestructive inspections, and operational use information
Other challenges include inadequate visibility into inventories at the commodity or subcomponent level, and lack of agility, and low first article test pass rates and associated poor supplier performance and unacceptably lengthy timeline first article acceptance process, also difficulty sourcing the raw stock materials to manufacture the end item, and lack of piece part visibility after delivery from suppliers.
Work Orders for maintenance operations are incomplete and maintenance operations are not fully planned, consolidations and reorganisations do not always maintain the source of repair as a viable organic repair source, and other risks.
Supply chain risk mitigations are continually enhanced and upgraded to minimise risk the warfighting mission capability will be impaired due to threats and vulnerabilities in system design or subversion of system mission critical functions or critical components to include improved source inspections, evaluations, source selection processes, product verification testing, and discrepant material reporting and handling,
Reduced vulnerability to disruptions in associated supply chain infrastructure, info systems, protection of Mission Critical Functions to achieve trusted systems and networks, delivery and ensure supply chain resiliency including flexibility, adaptability, and responsiveness for risks not currently identified.
Desired Outcome of Effective Parts Availability Programmes is having the right quality parts where and when needed at a cost-effective price. A key element is the improved selection and sustainment of qualified, capable, and competent suppliers.
Must rapidly source and qualify new suppliers and incorporate new or innovative repair processes and technologies where reasonable and effective. Rapid manufacturing technologies and processes have been incorporated into alternate manufacturing solutions such as material substitution of modern extrusions, additive manufacturing, etc.
Processes and technologies are in place to rapidly identify alternate methods or raw materials to manufacture the end items. Near-real-time certification processes of special needs applications will improve the cycle time and effectiveness of the organic first article qualification process.
3-D models must be developed where reasonable and effective and provided to suppliers for the manufacturer of spares for support continue to improve the probability of first pass quality during first article acceptance and follow on production part/lot acquisitions through oversight and control of qualified and competent sources.
Activities integrated between Service offices reduce hand-off and cycle time to be reviewed annually to assess actual usage versus forecasted usage and then updated to account for emerging issues ultimately replaced by real-time status updates.
Recurring “stumble-on” and/or over-and-above repairs are engineered, planned, and incorporated into the work package with appropriate usage so supply chain can incorporate them into demand forecasting activities.
Finally, the Logistics Requirements Determination Process is implemented across all commodity and weapons system repair lines. Drafting specifications and requirements is a statement of needs and its purpose is to present to potential suppliers a clear, accurate and comprehensive statement of organisation needs so solutions to those needs can be proposed.
At the same time, the specification must enable the organisation to readily evaluate offers, provide the basis for performance measures and be a record of evidence in any dispute.
A specification is also known as an operational requirement or a statement of requirement. It can take the form of a conformance specification – where the organisation sets out how the supplier should meet its needs - or a performance or output-base specification where the supplier is given scope to propose solutions to an expected and known end result.
Although drawing up specifications in the majority of large organisations is not the responsibility solely of the buyer, it must also emphasise successful drafting of specifications is one of the most important responsibilities of successful Site Visit Executive.
The starting point for the preparation of the specification, particularly in the case of large and complex projects, is the business case. The drafting process is concerned with breaking down the overall scope set out in the business case into more detail and then, progressively and iteratively, refining into schedules of detailed requirements.
All contracts are different and the following process is not intended to be prescriptive but to act as a checklist for issues to be considered when preparing the specification:
1. Define in detail the scope of product to include essential or core requirement, optional/desirable attributes
2. Establish sources of information about requirement
3. Encourage Business stakeholders to participate
4. Make sure Customers and users issues are addressed
5. Don’t forget to include other stakeholders
6. Provide the best tools/support to technicians
7. Pay attention to details of supply market
8. Gather information on background to requirements
9. Ensure framework predicts future developments
10. Provide for records of detailed requirements
11. Establish Metrics for performance measurement
12. Decide the type of specification to be used and then prepare draft
13. Decide contracts to be performed over a long period of time
14. Provide Scope/background to the requirement
15. Detail description of the functional requirements
16. Classify product as essential, optional and desirable
17. Describe performance requirements including input/output details
18. Agree on Timescale/timetable parameters
19. Assess performance measurement requirements, for example volume, accuracy, availability, service details
20. Explore potential of other requirements
21. Consider security, access, standards, training, personnel, info recovery/protection
22. Identify constraints, for example, time, interface with other parties, technology issues
23. Determine contract team requirements, information, project risk mitigation processes
24. Take into account contractual requirements, for example terms and conditions
25. Define roles and responsibilities of personnel
26. Identity opportunities for submitting alternative proposals
27. Establish procurement procedures including timetable, evaluation
28. Clearly define acceptance criteria and process
29. Establish contact information with stakeholders
30. Compose correct format and content of responses.
31. Record Sections providing background stats and organisation information
32. Prepare specification to include drafting of evaluation model/criteria
33. Ensure all information needed for evaluation has been requested from potential suppliers
34. Make sure evaluation covers all requirements of organization
35. Format responses to enable effective/clear evaluation of offers to be carried out.
36. Create defined, clear, logical specification with unambiguous requirements
37. Focus on outputs and how they are to be met
38. Contain sufficient information for potential suppliers to submit credible and realistic offers
39. Ensure all information needed for effective evaluation is requested
40. Permit offers to be evaluated against declared criteria
41. Set out conditions to define acceptance criteria
42. Provide opportunity for all potential suppliers to submit offers
43. Make sure do not discriminate against or be biased towards any supplier
44. Sign off specification document reviewed by officer with necessary knowledge, experience and authority
45. Review to ensure complete and accurate specification
46. Meet stakeholders needs for problem solving
47. Address content of future requirements
48. Fully counter identified risks to agreements
49. Comply with and address issues identified by original business case
50. Ensure Field-level requirements are capable of being met by the market
But weapon systems with top notch performance profiles are of little use to the combatant commanders if those weapon systems are not available for use when the commander needs them, or the services cannot afford to support them once fielded. As weapon systems progress from the conceptual stage to the design stage, Site Visit Executive must balance performance needs of the Warfighter with operational availability requirements
Once the system is fielded, actual performance tracking enables corrective actions and adjustments to the product support package as required to achieve Warfighter requirements and to control O&S costs. This is accomplished by continually comparing performance against requirements, defined as thresholds; and expectations, defined as objectives.
Actual equipment and product support performance metrics are used, improving product support strategies to meet field use requirements. This includes updating the assessments to examine actual versus predicted cost and performance, supply chain processes based on actual values to help balance logistics support through a thorough review of readiness degraders, maintenance info, maintenance capability, and product support process implementation.
For example, reliability metrics captured through the maintenance process can be compared, using reliability modeling, to specified system reliability. Those components that are critical reliability drivers can then be submitted for review to determine the most cost-effective risk mitigation strategies.
Must focus on optimising maintenance workload tracking across the enterprise and at Sustainment Centre level across all complexes by serving as a single entry point to outside customers with capability to identify workload capabilities and shortfalls across the enterprise and use this information to pursue new/repatriated workload.
An improved, single-interface solution will serve to share backshop and local manufacturing workload solutions among the complexes, reduce costs, accelerate feedback loops, and develop greater local manufacturing agility
.
Must have a robust and agile single-interface solution that provides optimum visibility and improvement opportunities for the Maintenance Repair/Overhaul enterprise based on capabilities and capacities utilising the guidance reflected in the Technology Repair Centre construct.
Logistics Complexes operate with some different business processes creating conditions where complex cannot provide standardised guidance. Does not have optimum visibility of capability, capacity, or cost across enterprise.
There are many programmes, processes and offices working multiple issues related to capacity, manpower workload and so on, but no aggregated metrics to allow assessments at the complex level. Assessments are performed in a variety of efforts throughout the enterprise but they do not use the same methodology.
Even if complex had good metrics on capability and capacity, the lack of common equipment and tools makes temporary shifts to balance back shop and local manufacturing workload very difficult.
Well-designed enterprise-level Strategic Sustainment Frameworks are required to provide an overall site picture of current and future workload in areas such as backlog of workloads, surplus capacity, manpower requirements by skills, facilities capabilities, machine capabilities and space requirements.
Complex is at risk of discarding essential equipment and skill sets without Strategic Sustainment Teams in place to review in-house repair shop capabilities and verify interdependent capabilities are retained before restructures or consolidations. There is no enterprise level strategy in place to review any potential short or long-term workload reassignments. Repatriation efforts are not prioritised based on enterprise wide needs.
Description attribute focuses on the technology and processes to source and approve/certify the correct parts, where and when needed, delivered timely and at cost, regardless of the source of procurement. Sources are Logistics contract repair, local manufacturing, “the boneyard” or Maintenance/Regeneration Group, surplus sources, and Defense or commercial suppliers.
Key aspects influence include: defining requirements accurately, forecasting accuracy, 100% visibility of all inventories, discrepant materials handling, rapid manufacture or innovative supply of parts to include high volume and one-off or dated parts, agility in the rapid certification of industry/Complex local manufacturing sources, upholding/improving quality and maintaining parts integrity, and configuration.
Must identify and track each aircraft, part, or end item status, expected lifetime, and component information to demonstrate integrity and ensure forward looking, protected, viable, and supply chains amid constantly changing risks.
Current Attribute Problem/Shortfall/Limitations of Parts Availability Programmes predicated on mitigating risk assessments is challenging due to insufficient/uncorrelated forecasting and because current methods do not interface or easily incorporate aircraft or commodity-specific info gathered by such methods as pre-induction inspections, nondestructive inspections, and operational use information
Other challenges include inadequate visibility into inventories at the commodity or subcomponent level, and lack of agility, and low first article test pass rates and associated poor supplier performance and unacceptably lengthy timeline first article acceptance process, also difficulty sourcing the raw stock materials to manufacture the end item, and lack of piece part visibility after delivery from suppliers.
Work Orders for maintenance operations are incomplete and maintenance operations are not fully planned, consolidations and reorganisations do not always maintain the source of repair as a viable organic repair source, and other risks.
Supply chain risk mitigations are continually enhanced and upgraded to minimise risk the warfighting mission capability will be impaired due to threats and vulnerabilities in system design or subversion of system mission critical functions or critical components to include improved source inspections, evaluations, source selection processes, product verification testing, and discrepant material reporting and handling,
Reduced vulnerability to disruptions in associated supply chain infrastructure, info systems, protection of Mission Critical Functions to achieve trusted systems and networks, delivery and ensure supply chain resiliency including flexibility, adaptability, and responsiveness for risks not currently identified.
Desired Outcome of Effective Parts Availability Programmes is having the right quality parts where and when needed at a cost-effective price. A key element is the improved selection and sustainment of qualified, capable, and competent suppliers.
Must rapidly source and qualify new suppliers and incorporate new or innovative repair processes and technologies where reasonable and effective. Rapid manufacturing technologies and processes have been incorporated into alternate manufacturing solutions such as material substitution of modern extrusions, additive manufacturing, etc.
Processes and technologies are in place to rapidly identify alternate methods or raw materials to manufacture the end items. Near-real-time certification processes of special needs applications will improve the cycle time and effectiveness of the organic first article qualification process.
3-D models must be developed where reasonable and effective and provided to suppliers for the manufacturer of spares for support continue to improve the probability of first pass quality during first article acceptance and follow on production part/lot acquisitions through oversight and control of qualified and competent sources.
Activities integrated between Service offices reduce hand-off and cycle time to be reviewed annually to assess actual usage versus forecasted usage and then updated to account for emerging issues ultimately replaced by real-time status updates.
Recurring “stumble-on” and/or over-and-above repairs are engineered, planned, and incorporated into the work package with appropriate usage so supply chain can incorporate them into demand forecasting activities.
Finally, the Logistics Requirements Determination Process is implemented across all commodity and weapons system repair lines. Drafting specifications and requirements is a statement of needs and its purpose is to present to potential suppliers a clear, accurate and comprehensive statement of organisation needs so solutions to those needs can be proposed.
At the same time, the specification must enable the organisation to readily evaluate offers, provide the basis for performance measures and be a record of evidence in any dispute.
A specification is also known as an operational requirement or a statement of requirement. It can take the form of a conformance specification – where the organisation sets out how the supplier should meet its needs - or a performance or output-base specification where the supplier is given scope to propose solutions to an expected and known end result.
Although drawing up specifications in the majority of large organisations is not the responsibility solely of the buyer, it must also emphasise successful drafting of specifications is one of the most important responsibilities of successful Site Visit Executive.
The starting point for the preparation of the specification, particularly in the case of large and complex projects, is the business case. The drafting process is concerned with breaking down the overall scope set out in the business case into more detail and then, progressively and iteratively, refining into schedules of detailed requirements.
All contracts are different and the following process is not intended to be prescriptive but to act as a checklist for issues to be considered when preparing the specification:
1. Define in detail the scope of product to include essential or core requirement, optional/desirable attributes
2. Establish sources of information about requirement
3. Encourage Business stakeholders to participate
4. Make sure Customers and users issues are addressed
5. Don’t forget to include other stakeholders
6. Provide the best tools/support to technicians
7. Pay attention to details of supply market
8. Gather information on background to requirements
9. Ensure framework predicts future developments
10. Provide for records of detailed requirements
11. Establish Metrics for performance measurement
12. Decide the type of specification to be used and then prepare draft
13. Decide contracts to be performed over a long period of time
14. Provide Scope/background to the requirement
15. Detail description of the functional requirements
16. Classify product as essential, optional and desirable
17. Describe performance requirements including input/output details
18. Agree on Timescale/timetable parameters
19. Assess performance measurement requirements, for example volume, accuracy, availability, service details
20. Explore potential of other requirements
21. Consider security, access, standards, training, personnel, info recovery/protection
22. Identify constraints, for example, time, interface with other parties, technology issues
23. Determine contract team requirements, information, project risk mitigation processes
24. Take into account contractual requirements, for example terms and conditions
25. Define roles and responsibilities of personnel
26. Identity opportunities for submitting alternative proposals
27. Establish procurement procedures including timetable, evaluation
28. Clearly define acceptance criteria and process
29. Establish contact information with stakeholders
30. Compose correct format and content of responses.
31. Record Sections providing background stats and organisation information
32. Prepare specification to include drafting of evaluation model/criteria
33. Ensure all information needed for evaluation has been requested from potential suppliers
34. Make sure evaluation covers all requirements of organization
35. Format responses to enable effective/clear evaluation of offers to be carried out.
36. Create defined, clear, logical specification with unambiguous requirements
37. Focus on outputs and how they are to be met
38. Contain sufficient information for potential suppliers to submit credible and realistic offers
39. Ensure all information needed for effective evaluation is requested
40. Permit offers to be evaluated against declared criteria
41. Set out conditions to define acceptance criteria
42. Provide opportunity for all potential suppliers to submit offers
43. Make sure do not discriminate against or be biased towards any supplier
44. Sign off specification document reviewed by officer with necessary knowledge, experience and authority
45. Review to ensure complete and accurate specification
46. Meet stakeholders needs for problem solving
47. Address content of future requirements
48. Fully counter identified risks to agreements
49. Comply with and address issues identified by original business case
50. Ensure Field-level requirements are capable of being met by the market
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