Process innovation through alpha contracting
Subtitle: an analysis of Department of Defense service contracts
By:  George Aloysius Schutter, III
Publisher: Naval Postgraduate School; Available from National Technical Information Service
Published: 1998
Place of publication: Monterey, Calif; Springfield, Va
Language: eng
Number of pages: 94
Description: The focus of acquisition reform is not only to obtain a better product for the Department of Defense (DoD), but also to improve or innovate the actual process of acquiring defense systems and services. This thesis critically      analyzes the DoD service contracting process with a focus on innovation through alpha contracting as a redesign      enabler. Service contracting is increasingly important as the DOD shifts to contractor support with the many unique characteristics requiring special attention that service contracting entails. Data gathered from field research and interviews are employed to support comparative process analysis of eight service contracting process flows. Innovation analysis of these eight processes is employed to redesign the service contracting  process through alpha contracting. Both positive implications and potential inhibitors to alpha contracting are discussed, as well as mechanisms to overcome the inhibitors. To generalize the results of this research, a      decision model is developed to assist acquisition managers in assessing the likelihood of alpha contracting success. The thesis concludes that alpha contracting can innovate the service contracting process and offers suggestions for future research along these lines.
Notes: "December 1998."

Thesis advisor(s): Mark E. Nissen, Jeffrey R. Cuskey.

Thesis (M.S. in Management) Naval Postgraduate School, December 1998.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 87-91).

Approved for public release; distribution unlimited.

Also available online.

Mode of access: World Wide Web.

System requirements: Adobe Acrobat reader.

US Marine Corps (USMC) author.

dk/dk cc:9116 02/10/99.