Logistics & Supply Management

There are statutory and regulatory requirements in logistics that must be taken into account by the Program Manager (PM). Support strategies must ensure compliance with all statutory and regulatory requirements. These requirements must be considered as an integral and evolving aspect of all Life-Cycle Management decisions. The PM must also follow Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) […]

Level of Repair Analysis (LORA) is an analytical methodology used to determine when an item will be replaced, repaired, or discarded based on cost considerations and operational readiness requirements. For a complex engineering system containing thousands of assemblies, sub-assemblies, components, organized into several levels of indenture and with a number of possible repair decisions, LORA

Note: The Life-Cycle Signature Support Plan (LSSP) has been replaced by the Life-Cycle Mission Data Plan (LMDP) effective 22 January 2013. A Life-Cycle Signature Support Plan (LSSP) is required for validated and approved signature-dependent programs.  A signature-dependent program is a defense acquisition that uses or is comprised of a sensor, system, or process that relies

Just-in-Time (JIT) is a production strategy that strives to improve a business’s return on investment by reducing in-process inventory and associated storage costs. To meet JIT objectives, the process relies on signals between different points in the process which tell production when to make the next part and what to order. Since a large inventory

Item Unique Item Identification (IUID) is a DoD strategic imperative. IUID is an asset identification system instituted by the United States Department of Defense (DoD) to uniquely identify assets. Items are distinguished from one another by the assignment of a unique item identifier (UII) in the form of a data string encoded in a 2-dimensional

Logistics documentation support acquisition programs and the program manager information with regards to logistics. Each of these documents contains logistics information that must be drafted, validated, and updated on a regular basis throughout the entire acquisition process. They provide the basis for all acquisition logistics planning and management for a program. Logistics should be addressed

Inventory classification can help a company control its inventory by reducing the amount of stock they have on hand and by increasing the inventory turnover ratio.  Both of which make a company’s distribution network more efficient and lower its overall cost. Usually, inventory items are classified into three categories by following the ABC approach. The

Interim Contractor Support (ICS) includes the burdened cost of contract labor, material, and assets used in providing temporary logistics support to a weapon system, subsystem, and associated support equipment. The purpose of ICS is to provide total or partial logistics support until a government maintenance capability is developed. [1] Contractor Logistics Support (CLS) is when

Government Furnished Property (GFP) (FAR Part 45) is equipment/property owned by the government and delivered to or made available to a contractor. GFE is normally specified in a Request for Proposal (RFP) or contract. GFE is usually determined by the government Program Manager (PM) and Contracting Officer. Definition: Government Furnished Property (GFP) is the property in

Integrated Product Support (IPS), use to be integrated logistics support (ILS), is a unified and iterative approach to the management and technical activities needed to influence operational and materiel requirements and design specifications for logistics support. Definition: Integrated Logistics Support (ILS) is the management and technical process through which supportability and logistic support considerations are

Future Logistics Enterprise (FLE) is a DoD’s vision to accelerate logistics improvement, enhance support to the warfighter, and align logistics processes with the operational demands of the 21st century. The primary objective of the FLE is to ensure consistent, reliable support that meets warfighter requirements through enterprise integration and end-to-end customer service. The FLE builds

Flexible Sustainment (FS) is a concept that provides procedural freedom to optimize Life-Cycle Costs (LCC) through tradeoffs that are accomplished either during initial or follow-on acquisition. FS is a process that encourages the Program Manager (PM) to use performance-based specifications and to develop innovative, cost-effective, life cycle solutions. The principal elements of FS are Reliability-Based Logistics

Depot-Level (D-Level) Maintenance is performed on materiel requiring major overhaul or a complete rebuild of parts, assemblies, subassemblies, and end items, including the manufacture of parts, modification, testing, and reclamation, as required. It supports organizational and intermediate maintenance activities by more extensive shop facilities and personnel of higher technical skill than are normally available at

A Program Manager (PM) should analytically determine the most effective levels of maintenance and sources based on materiel availability and cost factors. Policy requires (10 U.S.C. 2464) organic core maintenance capabilities are in place to provide effective and timely response to surge demands and to ensure cost efficiency and technical competence. In addition, core sustaining

Core Capability Planning and Analysis is a methodology that extends to all weapon systems and equipment operated by each DoD Component for determining core logistics requirements.  It’s used to determine essential depot maintenance capability requirements and the workloads needed to sustain those capabilities. It’s also used in developing the Maintenance & Sustainment Strategy. A few

Availability is a measure of the degree to which an item is in an operable state and can be committed at the start of a mission when the mission is called for at an unknown (random) point in time. There are four (4) availability measurements: Inherent Availability: A system with respect only to operating time

A Commercial off–the-Shelf (COTS) item is sold, leased, or licensed to the general public; offered by a vendor trying to profit from it; supported and evolved by the vendor who retains the Intellectual Property (IP) rights; available in multiple identical copies; and used without modification of the internals. Definition: Commercially off-the-Shelf (COTS) is hardware or

Contractor Logistics Support (CLS) is when a contractor, rather than the government, is responsible for the integration of logistics support functions such as providing engineering support, identifying requirements for spare and repair parts, facilities, materiel, equipment, personnel, and performing maintenance on weapon systems. CLS is a method of obtaining support for a product throughout its

Acquisition Logistics, the pre-deployment element of Total Life Cycle Systems Management (TLCSM), and one of six transformation initiatives under DoD’s Force-Centric Logistics Enterprise.  It’s a multi-functional, technical management discipline associated with the design, development, test, production, fielding, validation, and improvement/modification of cost-effective systems. System sustainability is an essential element of performance (it may be stated

In a performance-based environment (as in Performance-Based Agreements), sustainment-related specifications, with a specified range of minimum mandatory (threshold) and target (objective) performance capability design parameters are established with accompanying metrics covering the entire enterprise. This includes the system and the supply chain supporting it. Sustained material readiness of warfighting capability can then be achieved by

Performance-Based Logistics is a strategy that optimizes total system availability while minimizing cost and logistics footprint. Trade-off decisions involving cost, useful service, and effectiveness shall consider corrosion prevention and mitigation. Sustainment strategies shall include the best use of public and private sector capabilities through government/industry partnering initiatives, in accordance with statutory requirements. [1]  “Program Mangers

Development and implementation of the Product Support Strategy consist of twelve (12) discrete steps reflected in the Product Support Process Model. Guidebook: DoD Product Support Managers – April 2011 Each of the 12 steps is listed below but for a more detailed explanation of each step, visit the DoD Product Support Manager Guidebook: [1] Integrate Warfighter

  Supply Management is a complementary discipline that encompasses the alignment of organizations, processes, and systems for strategic sourcing, contract management, supplier management, spend analysis to continuously improve global supply for best-value performance in support of the strategic objectives of the business. [1]   Supply Management’s focus on the total cost of ownership for acquiring

Life-Cycle Sustainment involves the early planning, development, implementation, and management of a comprehensive, affordable, effective performance-driven logistics support strategy. It plays a key role during all phases of the life cycle. The goal is to ensure sustainment considerations are integrated into all planning, implementation, management, and oversight activities associated with the acquisition, development, production, fielding,

The Life-Cycle Sustainment Plan (LCSP) is required by DoD Instruction 5000.02 “Enclosure 6” and documents the Program Manager‘s (PM) and Product Support Manager’s plan for formulating, implementing, and executing the sustainment strategy. The plan is included in the overall Acquisition Strategy of a program and describes the approach and resources necessary to develop and integrate sustainment requirements