Streamlining the Acquisition Process: Should Program Directors be Granted Contracting Authority.

摘要

In Air Force Systems Command (AFSC), program directors have overall responsibility for managing the acquisition of weapons systems. However, they have no contracting authority. The separation of responsibility and authority violates a basic management principle, which states that the level of responsibility and authority vested in an individual should be roughly equivalent. This situation may cause inefficiencies and undue organizational conflict in the acquisition process. The objective of this thesis is to determine whether the acquisition process can be streamlined by vesting program directors with contracting authority. Through a comprehensive mail survey of all program directors and procuring contracting officers (PCOs) in AFSC, the perceptions of the key individuals in systems acquisition were measured to determine if shifting contracting authority to program directors would improve the acquisition process. The results of the survey revealed that the present authority relationships via the matrix organization work reasonably well, and should remain intact. Both program directors and PCOs emphasized the importance of the current check and balance system. The survey also found a moderate level of conflict between directors and PCOs, and low conflict between the Government and defense contractors. (KR)