DOD Acquisition
Case Study of the Air Force Space Based Space Surveillance System Gao ID: NSIAD-86-45S-17 July 31, 1986GAO provided a supplement to its report on the defense acquisition work force. GAO discussed the role of the program manager and contracting officer in developing the Air Force Space-Based Space Surveillance (SBSS) program's acquisition strategy.
GAO found that: (1) the program manager had a lead role in developing the original three-phase acquisition strategy, while the first contracting officer acted as an influential advisor; (2) the program manager later changed the strategy to a two-phase strategy, as the second contracting officer suggested; (3) the Air Force approved the acquisition strategy through various review levels but deferred it for budgetary reasons; and (4) the Air Force planned to carry competition for SBSS only through concept definition.