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Three processes cooperate to deliver capabilities needed by warfighters: the requirements process (JCIDS); the acquisition process (DAS); and the program and budget development process (PPBE). Includes links to DoD and Service policies, guidance, tools, and resources:

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This page introduces and illustrates the elements of Big "A" Acquisition and provides links to documents, multimedia, and training that support it.

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   Home Skip Navigation LinksAcquisition Process > Acquisition Centers of Excellence

Featured - ACE for Services

The Acquisition Center of Excellence (ACE) for Services

Service Acquisition Reform Act (SARA), Section 1431(b) initiative

The Office of Federal Procurement Policy (OFPP) partnered with the Defense Acquisition University (DAU), the Federal Acquisition Institute (FAI), federal government agencies, and industry associations and organizations to establish the Acquisition Center of Excellence (ACE) for Services required by the Service Acquisition Reform Act (SARA), section 1431(b). This center forms a flexible collaborative team with government, industry associations and academia to develop a repository for services best practices. The team members coordinate research and development in various service areas that are critical to agency missions and vision.

The ACE for Services is a collaborative clearinghouse for service contracting (as defined in FAR part 37) government and industry best practices, policy and guidance, e-tools, as well as education and training information.

The target audience is the private and public sector acquisition community including program managers, technical representatives, contract specialist, contracting officer representatives (CORs), and other members involved in the acquisition process.

Acquisition Community Connection. Visit the ACE for Services website.
http://acc.dau.mil/ace

ACE Information

Mission

Provide a premier source for services information to both the public and private sector acquisition community to promote knowledge sharing and excellence in making smart business decisions.

Vision

To establish an online resource center for services best practices that will evolve in to a knowledge management repository for best practices. The center will include areas for best practices, e-tools, policy and guidance, as well as education and training opportunities. The center will expand to include the ability to provide virtual experts to assist the acquisition community in planning, soliciting, evaluating, awarding, and managing service contracts. This center will also complement and enhance the Services Course under development by the Defense Acquisition University (DAU) and Federal Acquisition Institute (FAI) partnership-led interagency development team.

Benefit and Value

Offers a collaborative structure that has proven to be extremely effective in the creation and transfer of knowledge within and between organizations, and provides value to organizations in the following ways:

  • Provides a one stop resource information center for new/more junior employees and senior/more experienced practitioners;
  • Facilitates the building of services knowledge;
  • Facilitates the rapid identification of individuals with specific knowledge or skills;
  • Fosters a collaborative knowledge sharing across organizational boundaries (“boundary spanning”); and
  • Promotes and facilitates the capture and re-use of existing knowledge assets within the acquisition community.

Enabling Legislation

The Office of Federal Procurement Policy (OFPP) is required, by the Service Acquisition Reform Act (SARA), Section 1431(b), to establish an Acquisition Center of Excellence (ACE) for Service Contracting. The purpose is to provide a central clearinghouse of service contracting best practices for both the public and private sectors.

ACE Best Practices

Best Practices, as defined in the Federal Acquisition Regulation Part 37.501, are techniques that agencies may use to help detect problems in the acquisition, management and administration of service contracts.

Best Practices Panel

Full Speed Ahead to PBSA PPT

Dani Wildason, USCG DOC

Using ITIL and ITSM PPT

Suzann Balog, HP Inc. DOC

Performance Criteria for Professional Services PPT

Mike Cameron, BAH Inc. DOC

ACE Points of Contact

For information about the ACE for Services initiative:

Julia Wise
Procurement Analyst
202-395-7561
julia_wise@omb.eop.gov

To contribute Service contracting best practices information:

Jeffrey Birch
DAU Knowledge Project Officer
jeffrey.birch@dau.mil