Original Date: 04/29/2002
Revision Date: 01/18/2007

The Acquisition Team process has proven to reduce problems encountered during ship availabilities. By having all interested parties involved in the Acquisition Team process, fewer chances of mistakes or omissions can occur.

The acquisition strategy and process being used at the U.S. Coast Guard, Maintenance & Logistics Command- Atlantic (MLCLANT) help ensure thorough preparation as ships enter either dry-dock or port side repair and maintenance events. The process consists of a team of players from all the required disciplines involved in cutter maintenance and the overall availability scheduling process.

MLCLANT assembled an Integrated Product Team (IPT), called the Acquisition Team (A-Team). This team consists of the type desk manager (team chairman), an engineering specifications writer, contracting personnel, administrative personnel, logistics support personnel, and the port engineer from a Naval Engineering Support Unit (NESU). Other ad-hoc members are added to the A-Team as required. Members join or withdraw as expertise is required, and may serve on several different A-Teams simultaneously.

The A-Team process (Figure 2-1) begins when the Naval Engineering Division sends an official message to the affected cutter, and the NESU informs cutter personnel of the upcoming Work Definition Conference. This meeting is held between the NESU engineer and cutter personnel to generate the initial work list (WL) that depicts the needed and desired repairs/modifications. After review and required modifications of the initial list are made by the type desk manager, the first A-Team meeting is held to finalize the scope of work, validate the acquisition strategy, and deliver the work package for specification draft development.

The specifications writer then prepares a first draft of the specification and submits it to the entire A-Team for review and comment. A-Team members forward their comments to the type desk manager for his review and concurrence. After approval, the comments are incorporated into the specification and the second A-Team meeting is scheduled. The second meeting is usually held aboard the vessel, and involves a detailed review of the specification and a “shipcheck” to ensure all necessary details are covered and accurate. Results from this meeting provide the final specification (or statement of work) which is forwarded to contracting for start of the procurement process.

Execution of the contract is monitored daily by the NESU engineer and members of the ship crew. The A-Team’s review and partnering with the contractor ensure compliance with the contractual requirements and identify other areas of concern early, allowing for speedy contract modifications should the need arise.

At the conclusion of the contract’s execution, a third meeting is held among all members of the original A-Team. During this meeting, feedback is solicited from all A-Team members, lessons learned are reviewed for each particular contract line item, and ways to improve the entire process for future work are uncovered. By members focusing on a common goal, the A-Team makes a significant contribution in keeping projects on schedule and within budget.

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