https://armypubs.army.mil/epubs/DR_pubs/DR_a/pdf/web/ARN3231_AD2017-15_Final.pdf
MEMORANDUM FOR SEE DISTRIBUTION
SUBJECT: Army Directive 2017-15 (Managing and Overseeing the Acquisition of
Services)
1. References. A complete list of references is in enclosure 1.
2. This directive provides interim policy for the planning, approval, and execution of
contracted services until the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army (Acquisition,
Logistics and Technology) updates Army Regulation 70-13 (Management and Oversight
of Services Acquisitions) to incorporate recent Department of Defense (DoD) and Army
best practices for obtaining contracted services. During fiscal year 2016, the Army
spent approximately $50 billion on goods and services. Of that, about 62 percent (or
$31 billion) was for contracted services capabilities that enable or support Army
missions. Spending this significant amount of taxpayer money demands that the Army
executes a high level of leader oversight and disciplined management.
3. Our services acquisitions are critical to the success of many Army missions, from
Soldier health and well-being, to equipment and training readiness, to installation
sustainment. This directive focuses on commander, leader, and Headquarters,
Department of the Army (HQDA) responsibilities in three primary areas of services
acquisition to implement DoD and Army instructions to increase leader visibility and
accountability in making decisions and evaluating outcomes for contracted services.
These primary areas of services acquisition are planning services, defining
requirements, and approving requirements.
a. Planning Services. Effective services planning requires supported mission
analyses and forecasting. The Army needs to improve all efforts to responsibly forecast
enduring and future needs for contracted services. These improvements are essential
to synchronize services acquisition decisions with resource allocation decision
processes within the requiring activities (RAs) and across the Army. RAs are
organizations that have the services mission needs that contracts satisfy. These RAs
are the accountable authorities for services acquisition requirements and funding
decisions. They make near-term decisions on services mission needs as they request
to sustain or modify current contracts or establish new contracts in the budget year.
They rely on supporting contracting activities (CAs) to create the actual procurement
contracts for their services.
b. Defining Requirements. Analyses of many audits and Inspector General reports
over recent years show that the performance work statement for the services contract is
the foundation document of the services management tools that drive outcomes.
S E C R E T A R Y O F T H E A R M Y
W A S H I N G T O N
SUBJECT: Army Directive 2017-15 (Managing and Overseeing the Acquisition of
Services)
2
RAs are responsible for developing the performance work statement and nominating
qualified contracting officer representatives (CORs), who oversee the contracted
vendor’s performance and evaluate whether the vendor is satisfying the mission need.
The CORs report their assessments to the contracting officers, who enforce contract
compliance in accordance with Federal, DoD, and Army contracting regulations. During
2015, the Vice Chief of Staff of the Army issued detailed guidance for appointing,
training, and managing CORs (enclosure 2). All organizations must comply with that
guidance. Additionally, the DoD Deputy Director for Services Acquisition offers training,
tools, and assistance to services stakeholders in designing and overseeing the
acquisition of contracted services at http://www.acq.osd.mil/dpap/sa/training_safipt.html.
c. Approving Requirements. DoD Instruction 5000.74 (Defense Acquisition of
Services) identifies the need for Services Requirements Review Boards (SRRBs). Each
RA must establish an SRRB process and document its decisions by a designated senior
leader who validates and prioritizes all RA services requirements. The level of senior
leader approval must be commensurate to the mission risks in satisfying the need for
the service and the dollar value of the resources required. The RAs will evaluate
implementation of SRRB or equivalent processes in their internal control evaluation plan
required by Army Regulation 11-2 (Manager’s Internal Control Program). The Assistant
Secretary of the Army (Manpower and Reserve Affairs) provides a checklist for RAs to
evaluate their requirements to exclude inherently governmental functions and ensure
the Government oversight of contracts required by the Federal Acquisition Regulation
Subpart 7.503(e) and Army Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement Subpart
5107.503(e). You can download the checklist at
http://www.asamra.army.mil/scra/documents/ServicesContractApprovalForm.pdf.
SRRB guidelines are in enclosure 3.
4. The Army Acquisition Executive (AAE) is the senior official responsible for managing
the acquisition of contract services. Commanders and leaders of RAs with the contract
services missions provide the resources and daily oversight of their services contracts
through their CORs. The RAs are accountable for complying with AAE acquisition
instructions provided by their supporting CA. The RAs and their CORs provide planning
and oversee vendor performance in accordance with guidance from their CA. The
Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army (Procurement) and Senior Services Manager in
the Office of the AAE develop policy and procedures to help RAs and CAs improve all
aspects of services acquisitions and assess the performance and cost-effectiveness of
Armywide services acquisition. Questions and recommendations may be directed to
the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army (Procurement) and Senior Services
Manager at https://spcs3. kc.army.mil/asaalt/procurement/Services/Home.aspx. (A
common access card is required.)
SUBJECT: Army Directive 2017-15 (Managing and Overseeing the Acquisition of
Services)
3
5. The provisions of this directive are effective immediately and apply to the Active
Army, Army National Guard/Army National Guard of the United States, and U.S. Army
Reserve.
6. The proponent for this policy is the Assistant Secretary of the Army (Acquisition,
Logistics and Technology). The Assistant Secretary will ensure that the provisions of
this directive are incorporated into the next update of Army Regulation 70-13.
7. This directive is rescinded upon publication of the revised regulation.
Encls Robert M. Speer
Acting
DISTRIBUTION:
Principal Officials of Headquarters, Department of the Army
Commander
U.S. Army Forces Command
U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command
U.S. Army Materiel Command
U.S. Army Pacific
U.S. Army Europe
U.S. Army Central
U.S. Army North
U.S. Army South
U.S. Army Africa/Southern European Task Force
U.S. Army Special Operations Command
Military Surface Deployment and Distribution Command
U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command/Army Strategic Command
U.S. Army Cyber Command
U.S. Army Medical Command
U.S. Army Intelligence and Security Command
U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
U.S. Army Military District of Washington
U.S. Army Test and Evaluation Command
U.S. Army Installation Management Command
U.S. Army Human Resources Command
U.S. Army Financial Management Command
U.S. Army Marketing and Engagement Brigade
(CONT)
SUBJECT: Army Directive 2017-15 (Managing and Overseeing the Acquisition of
Services)
4
DISTRIBUTION: (CONT)
Superintendent, United States Military Academy
Director, U.S. Army Acquisition Support Center
Executive Director, Arlington National Cemetery
Commandant, U.S. Army War College
Director, Civilian Human Resources Agency
CF:
Director, Army National Guard
Director of Business Transformation
Commander, Eighth Army
Enclosure 1
REFERENCES
a. Department of Defense (DoD) Directive 1100.4 (Guidance for Manpower
Management), February 12, 2005.
b. DoD Instruction 1100.22 (Policy and Procedures for Determining Workforce Mix),
April 12, 2010.
c. DoD Instruction 5000.74 (Defense Acquisition of Services), January 5, 2016.
d. DoD Instruction 7041.04 (Estimating and Comparing the Full Costs of Civilian and
Active Duty Military Manpower and Contract Support), July 3, 2013.
e. Army Regulation 11-2 (Manager’s Internal Control Program), 4 January 2010,
Including Rapid Action Revision Issued 26 March 2012.
f. Army Regulation 70-13 (Management and Oversight of Services Acquisition),
30 July 2010.
g. Army Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement 5107.503(e).
h. Memorandum, Director, Defense Procurement and Acquisition Policy, Office of the
Under Secretary of Defense (Acquisition, Technology and Logistics), Dec 06 2012,
subject: Service Acquisition Workshop.
i. Memorandum, Senior Services Manager, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army
(Procurement), Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army (Acquisition, Logistics and
Technology), Feb 08 2013, subject: Service Acquisition Workshop.
j. Optimization of Army Services Acquisition Implementation Plan, Office of the
Assistant Secretary of the Army (Acquisition, Logistics and Technology),
1 September 2011.
Enclosure 2
REQUIRING ACTIVITY RESPONSIBILITIES FOR TRAINING, APPOINTING, AND
MANAGING CONTRACTING OFFICER’S REPRESENTATIVES
2
Enclosure 3
SERVICES REQUIREMENTS REVIEW BOARDS
1. Requiring activities (RAs) establish Services Requirements Review Boards (SRRBs)
to ensure that services requirements are reviewed, validated, prioritized, and approved,
and that the need for an appropriate level of services is verified. This critically important
process determines minimum services needs and prioritizes services requirements
while identifying opportunities for savings and efficiencies. Savings may be realized
through reduction in service delivery levels, outright cancellation, and strategic sourcing
through existing procurement contracts.
2. SRRBs provide a process for RA senior leaders to assess, review, and validate
requirements for services. Requirements reviews should be tailored for specificity and
include, but not be limited to:
a. Mission Need: How does the requirement fill the mission need and what
outcomes will be achieved by acquiring services?
b. Workforce Analysis: How is/was the requirement satisfied and why is the use of
military or civilian personnel not an option? Coordination with the component
manpower and personnel officials should be accomplished in accordance with DoD
Directive 1100.4 (Guidance for Manpower Management). The analysis should also
consider guidance in DoD Instruction 1100.22 (Policy and Procedures for Determining
Workforce Mix) and DoD Instruction 7041.04 (Estimating and Comparing the Full Costs
of Civilian and Active Duty Military Manpower and Contract Support).
c. Strategic Alignment: How does the requirement for services support the broader
organizational mission?
d. Relationship to Other Requirements: How does the requirement for services
positively or negatively affect the component’s other requirements? For information
technology services, see DoD Instruction 5000.74 (Defense Acquisition of Services),
enclosure 7, to ensure that requirements are consistent with enterprise information
technology strategies.
e. Prioritization: Is the requirement for services a lower priority requirement that
can be reduced or eliminated so that savings can be transferred to higher priority
objectives or mission requirements?
f. Market Research: What is the nature and extent of market research conducted,
including any applicable benefit analysis performed for bundling or consolidation?
3. Requirements approval should be obtained from the SRRB chair before any
acquisition action is initiated unless the decision authority directs otherwise. SRRB
approval will be documented in the acquisition plan.
4. The seniority of the SRRB approval authority should be based on the complexity,
cost, and risks to mission performance.