Advisory Panel Calls for DoD to Improve Acquisition Through Portfolio Mgmt Structure Adoption

An advisory group that Congress created through the fiscal 2018 National Defense Authorization Act has issued a report that calls for the Defense Department to transition from a program-focused management structure to an “enterprise capability portfolio management” framework in order to improve the acquisition system, National Defense reported Thursday.

The Section 809 Panel said in the report published Thursday the adoption of a portfolio management structure would help build up warfighter capability, result in the alignment of requirements, budget processes and acquisition and facilitate cross-cutting data integration, analysis and decision-making.

“Realigning the acquisition system to place appropriate emphasis on sustainment would bring renewed focus on the overall state of readiness,” according to the volume 2 report.

The panel will provide additional recommendations related portfolio management structure, sustainment, requirements and portfolio execution in its volume 3 report that is scheduled for release in January 2019.

The report also recommends statutory changes to simplify the commercial source selection process; restructuring of the Cost Accounting Standards Board and cost accounting standards; elimination of regulatory and statutory distinctions between personal and nonpersonal services contracts; operationalization of the Dynamic Marketplace concept; and the need for the Defense Acquisition Workforce Development Fund to be supervised as a multiyear fund.