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MITRE, Aerospace Bring Forward Best Practices for Acquisition Success FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: MITRE Contacts: MITRE Aerospace WASHINGTON, D.C., March 12, 2013 — A new guide has been released to assist the federal government with acquisition programs by providing a checklist of key questions to consider in the acquisition process. Key Questions for Acquisition Success provides federal acquisition officials with reminders and guidance to inform their actions and decisions. It is applicable across a range of acquisition programs—large, major acquisitions and those leveraging agile acquisition methods—and it includes affordability, efficiency, and effectiveness best practices. The free, online guide, jointly published by The MITRE Corporation and The Aerospace Corporation, is intended as an aid to program managers, chief engineers, and contract specialists responsible for formulating and managing a federal acquisition program to help execute the program successfully. "In complex environments like acquisitions, even experts can let details slip through the cracks, which can lead to cost growth or schedule delay," said Lou Metzger, MITRE's corporate chief engineer and MITRE fellow. "Following check points, like those provided in this guide, reduces the risk of human error and its resulting program impact." MITRE and Aerospace, not-for-profit organizations that operate federally funded research and development centers (FFRDCs), have each advised the federal government on acquisition for more than half a century. FFRDCs address long-term problems of considerable complexity, approach technical questions with a high degree of objectivity, and provide creative and cost-effective solutions to national problems. Based on the collective experiences of both companies, Key Questions for Acquisition Success also draws on the best practices and lessons learned from past acquisitions by organizations across government and industry. The guide is being offered to the acquisition community as an adjunct to the disciplined planning and implementation of acquisition programs. On programs that MITRE and/or Aerospace support, our experienced practitioners are available to assist in its use. "Just as a pilot uses a checklist to walk through the key steps to takeoff, flight, landing, and taxiing, a program manager needs a checklist to make sure none of the critical factors for success are overlooked or ignored," said Rand Fisher, senior vice president of systems planning, engineering and quality at Aerospace. The intent of the guide is not to replace existing guidance or management tools, but to focus attention on key elements that, if not done properly and at the right time, will cause a program to fail. It is a tool for experienced acquisition professionals who understand the issues and know how to mitigate the risks related to the checklist questions. Feedback and lessons learned from user experiences will inform future versions of the document. Download Key Questions for Acquisition Success from MITRE or Aerospace. About The MITRE Corporation The MITRE Corporation is a not-for-profit organization that provides systems engineering, research and development, and information technology support to the government. It operates federally funded research and development centers for the Department of Defense, the Federal Aviation Administration, the Internal Revenue Service and Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of Homeland Security, the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, with principal locations in Bedford, Massachusetts, and McLean, Virginia. About The Aerospace Corporation The Aerospace Corporation, based in El Segundo, Calif., is a California nonprofit corporation that provides objective technical analyses and assessments for critical national security space programs and selected civil and commercial space programs in the national interest. Aerospace has been assuring space mission success for more than 50 years.
Page last updated: March 12, 2013 | Top of page |
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