Nondevelopmental Item Acquisition, Fact or Fiction

摘要

The United States Army requires both people and equipment to perform its assigned mission. Equipment procured ranges from individual items to sophisticated missile systems. This procurement continues to be a major topic of interest to the Army, Industry, and Congress. In general, the Army procures two types of items - developmental and nondevelopmental. While in the past most systems have been fielded through the lengthy developmental process, the Army can no longer afford the time or resources this involves. Consequently, nondevelopmental item (NDI) procurement is the preferred Army acquisition alternative and is one of the better methods of acquiring equipment in an orderly, expeditious manner under the Army Streamlined Acquisition Process. NDI systems require little or no developmental effort by the Army because they are available off-the-shelf from a variety of sources. This paper reviews the NDI process and its advantages through examples of major nondevelopmental materiel systems purchased by the Army for use by units. It also reviews challenges to the process that threaten its survival. It is these challenges that cause some to ask the question Is NDI fact or fiction. I believe that NDI will become another casualty of the bureaucratic process and bog down under massive amounts of paperwork unless the Army can overcome these challenges.