NAVAIR’s Office of Small Business Programs (OSBP) has completed Continuous Process Improvement efforts to develop a consolidated acquisition planning solution for the command and its industry partners.

That solution, called the Long Range Acquisition Forecast, is an overview of about 1,200 procurement requirements command-wide. The list highlights what NAVAIR plans to purchase over the next three years and “provides NAVAIR and industry with the opportunity to plan ahead,” said Emily Harman, associate director for the NAVAIR OSBP.

The project couldn’t have been successful without support of NAWCAD leadership, who headed the efforts, Harman said. Rear Adm. Steven Eastburg took the helm until he went on to head Air ASW, Assault and Special Missions Programs, PEO(A). Edward Greer, NAWCAD executive director and NAVAIR deputy assistant commander for Test and Evaluation (AIR-5.0), later sponsored the project. More than 15 people formed the team, including representatives from each NAVAIR competency. The group consulted a similar forecast from NAWCTSD Orlando and surveyed more than 1,000 companies to develop NAVAIR’s plan.

The scope that the Long Range Acquisition Forecast offers NAVAIR’s leaders and industry partners is critical, Greer said. “I want to make sure that all eight NAWC/FRC sites are participating equally,” he told Harman as they talked about the forecast in his office recently. “I’ve been persistent in getting all of the various geographical sites onboard,” he said. “I really want us to reinforce the program.” Greer asked Harman to brief top command leaders in February to highlight “shining examples” of how the forecast is working at various sites and pinpoint areas where assistance is needed.

Potential benefits to NAVAIR are extensive. Several key acquisition milestones are highlighted, including when major purchases must be made to support warfighting requirements and when contracts must be awarded to increase the likelihood of staying on schedule and on budget.

The forecast also can be used, Harman said, to better manage workloads and staffing for government and industry, which will help teams better match the right skills and abilities to contract requirements. NAVAIR can use the plan to identify businesses that are best-equipped to fulfill the materials and services needs of the command.

The forecast is expected to increase competition among potential industry partners, which ultimately can lead to top-notch fulfillment of NAVAIR requirements. The list is posted publicly on NAVAIR and local Web sites, so more companies will have access to exactly what NAVAIR is looking to buy. That, Harman said, is expected to create an increase in bids from companies that specialize in the work that the command needs.

Small businesses also can become more competitive by using the tool. They often don’t have the staff and flexibility that large corporations have to focus solely on planning and tracking procurements and meeting with government partners. Now, they can just click on a link to see upcoming NAVAIR requirements and make decisions about which opportunities to pursue. As a result of the improvements, Harman said, the OSBP already is seeing a decrease in cold calls from businesses and more targeted inquiries from companies.

For more information on NAVAIR’s Long Range Acquisition Forecast, please contact the OSBP at 301-757-9083 or [email protected].

Cutlines:

Emily Harman (R) and Edward Greer (L) discuss the Long Range Acquisition Forecast (LRAF) with Mike McCurdy, Black Belt, Program Management (AIR-1.0). The LRAF is designed to list NAVAIR procurements and help government and industry plan to meet the requirements.