Original Date: 11/06/2007
Revision Date: / /

CACI International provides maintenance policy and planning products of value to the United States Coast Guard that include validation of planned maintenance using Backfit and Classic Reliability-Centered Maintenance (RCM) processes and optimizing drydocking intervals with a tailored RCM approach.

CACI International is an industry leader in the training and application of Reliability-Centered Maintenance (RCM), a methodology used to develop cost-effective maintenance procedures that preserve system operational functions. In 2000 the U.S. Navy turned to CACI to standardize the application of RCM by training and certifying all government and contractor personnel responsible for developing and approving planned maintenance for Navy ships. The United States Coast Guard (USCG) sought to leverage this effort and, through a memorandum of agreement, began sending USCG personnel to CACI RCM training and certification classes.

In 2001 the USCG Engineering Logistics Command contracted with CACI to perform a demonstration Maintenance Effectiveness Review (MER) for reverse osmosis, davits, and air- conditioning and refrigeration systems. The MER process – a focused review of planned maintenance primarily using the CACI-developed “Backfit” RCM methodology – had been developed by CACI for the U.S. Navy to validate planned maintenance on ship systems. Backfit RCM is a process used to review and validate existing maintenance on equipment reliability when operational experience exists. Backfit RCM has been used successfully in U.S. Navy applications and provides documented results that are repeatable regardless of the type of equipment analyzed. (See related Backfit RCM and Classic RCM process topics from this survey.) The USCG expanded and institutionalized the MER process based on its success, with six MERs conducted in 2007 and twelve more scheduled for 2008.

Due largely to these successful efforts facilitating validation of planned maintenance, the USCG expanded RCM efforts to include consulting support in reliability, maintainability and availability (RM&A), drafting of RCM contract requirements to include in major ship acquisitions, root-cause failure analysis, business-case analysis, and establishment of requirements for future USCG maintenance and corrective action data-collection systems.

CACI recently applied the RCM process to the unique process of optimizing drydocking periodicity for USCG ships (condition-based drydocking) during which a front-end analysis was conducted to identify drivers, failure modes, effects, and various limits. A MER was then conducted using a combination of the Classic and Backfit RCM processes that resulted in validation of tasks. These validated tasks, a diver hull inspection process used by the U.S. Navy, and completed checklists were then provided to a decision team to decide whether the drydocking should be conducted or deferred. Initial indications are that the drydocking periodicity will be able to be extended well beyond the current three-year period.

As an industry leader in the training and application of RCM, CACI International has provided maintenance policy and planning products of value to the USCG. These products have included validation of planned maintenance using Backfit and Classic RCM processes and optimizing drydocking intervals with a tailored RCM approach.

For more information see the Point of Contact for this survey.