Army business initiative council recommendations

Defense AT&L, Jan-Feb, 2005

Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army (Financial Management and Comptroller) Ernest Gregory, chair of the Army Business Initiative Council (ABIC), reported in a Sept. 14 memorandum to principal officials of Headquarters, Department of the Army, on 52 initiatives reviewed by the ABIC Board of Directors for Cycle 8. The board recommended 18 initiatives for implementation within the Army or in conjunction with OSD and the other Services; determined that 18 initiatives were already in play; recommended that nine not be accepted for implementation; and recommended that seven be deferred pending further work.

The completed list of Cycle 8 approved initiatives follows:

RECOMMENDED FOR ARMY IMPLEMENTATION

Divest of Low Dollar Value Government Property in Possession of Contractors: This initiative seeks to establish management processes or policies to divest government furnished equipment with an acquisition cost of less than $5,000 by giving the contractor the option to purchase the goods from the government or another source. Currently the Army does not maintain property accountability for items costing less than $2,500. However, contractors must account for all GFE, regardless of the dollar value.

Improve Communication with the Acquisition Workforce: This initiative recommends establishing an integrated process team to address the concerns of, and provide support for, the acquisition workforce. The IPT will seek to revise or implement any guidance and policy changes to improve communication within the professional acquisition community and facilitate the way ahead.

Develop an Overarching Policy or Procedure to Leverage Sources of Advanced Technology: This initiative seeks to improve the transfer of technology between the National Laboratories and the Army by working with the Department of Energy to determine how to make the current process work more efficiently. Current business practices call for development and approval of a determination and findings statement for each and every transfer.

Evaluate Low-Cost Retrofitting to Accommodate Standardized Batteries: This initiative recommends evaluating legacy equipment for retrofitting to accept the best battery options or substitutions without adverse effect on equipment performance, maintenance, or life cycle costs. The intent is to reduce the number of different batteries required to be stocked in inventory, which, in turn, will help reduce the logistics tail.

Establish an Acquisition Program Baseline for International Activities: This initiative recommends improving the visibility of program management activities by creating an acquisition program baseline for international programs. The APB will evaluate cost, schedule, and performance of foreign military sales systems acquisitions and include international programs in the Acquisition Information Management System. Separate methodologies and processes for determining cost, schedule, and performance of FMS acquisitions from domestic acquisition programs have limited the visibility of FMS systems acquisition data, impeding the Service acquisition executives' ability to make informed decisions.

Establish the Logistics Engineering Institutional Effectiveness Program: This initiative continues an effort between the Logistics Transformation Agency and the Combined Arms Support Command to develop and prototype processes that apply strategic business process reengineering methodologies to tactical-level logistics. Commercial industrial engineering sources and industry techniques are being examined for applicability, and those methodologies will assist the transformation efforts to identify, develop, and assess logistics improvement proposals.

Streamline/Consolidate Warehouse Functions and Associated Furniture: This initiative proposes to streamline/consolidate warehouse functions and furniture maintenance at the Installation Management Agency regional level or higher. Responsibility for replacement furniture is not centralized: Initial issue furnishings for new barracks are centrally funded and managed by the assistant chief of staff for installation management; replacement furnishings are currently managed at the installation level.

Promote Military In- and Out-Processing: This initiative proposes developing a comprehensive communications program that reinforces information on the availability of a newly updated Web-based military personnel in- and out-processing software module. Current in- and out-processing modules have had limited use; the new system is more user friendly and could reduce the number of installation-specific systems.

Share Practices Between Military and Civilian Education Programs: This initiative proposes a review of practices, procedures, and policies within the civilian and military education programs to enhance benefits for students and cost savings by leveraging lessons learned from each component. Sharing of practices between military and civilian Department of the Army education programs could result in enhanced benefits for soldiers and civilians and savings for the government.