In a nutshell . . . for the
contractor, whether producibility is addressed explicitly or implicitly in the
RFP or in a contract that has been awarded, or for the military or government
employee that will evaluate a proposal or administer a contract,
plenty!
Just because prototypes or units used for technical and operational
evaluation can be built to meet specifications does not mean the system is
producible. Successful prototypes do not mean that either the qualities of
supportability and maintainability needed by the military or the
manufacturability needed by the company to produce profits will be achieved in
full production.
With the government's increasing emphasis on getting the best in technology
and price from suppliers for its limited defense dollars, contractors must be
aware that being able to deliver a reliable, quality product on-time and
within cost as specified in a contract is a matter of economic necessity for
both themselves and their DoD customers.
Failure to properly address producibility measurement can affect
performance awards; subsequent buys, especially where dual and other forms of
multiple sourcing exist; increase rework costs; and generate costly redesign
actions. It follows then that . . .
