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News, announcements, training, search functions, Ask-a-Professor, and similar services with direct links supporting DoD acquisition.
Acquisition Process
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:
Workforce
Information on career management, the DoD Human Capital Initiative, career planning, leadership training, overarching planning and guidance documents, and relevant professional organizations.
Policy
Encyclopedic source of acquisition policy that follows a hierarchy of policy issuance (i.e., executive, legislative, federal, etc.) and filtered according to organization, career field, and special topics.
Communitiesof Practice
Links to communities of practice and special interest areas, the latest contribution and discussion posts for open ACC communities, community highlights, and links to related communities.
Training andContinuous Learning
Information on training and continuous learning that supports DoD acquisition, information that helps manage professional training portfolios, and information on training available from DAU and DoD and Services activities.
Industry
Information on DoD industry partners that helps the participation and execution of DoD processes; including industry support pages, news, information, and links to private sector acquisition contractors.
Displays tabs for additional AT&L Special Topics:
And popular AT&L Functional Gateways:
Portals
Functional Gateways
Fifteen functional knowledge gateways, one for each of the defense acquisition career fields.
Special Topics
Spcial Topics:
Better Buying Power Mission Areas MDID ACAT I/IA Support
Better Buying Power
News, policy, and media that support greater value and efficiency in defense acquisition.
Federally Funded Research & Development Centers and University Affilitated Research Centers
Select the image to go to the Community.
This community should serve as a forum to collaborate, ask questions and share information regarding FFRDCs and UARCs to the acquisition community. This forum will continue to add content and expand as the focus on FFRDCs and UARCs, especially at the Under Secretary level, continues to grow.
The following link contains additional information on the FFRDCs that currently serve the U.S. Government: http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/ffrdclist/
Welcome to the FFRDC Community of Practice. This community will also provide information on another type of DoD funded research center: University Affiliated Research Centers (UARCs)
HISTORY
FFRDCs are unique nonprofit entities sponsored and funded by the U.S. government to meet some special long-term research or development need which cannot be met as effectively by existing in-house or contractor resources. It is common for agencies to establish long-term relationships with their FFRDCs in order to provide continuity. FFRDCs operate in the industries of defense, homeland security, energy, aviation, space, health and human services, and tax administration. FFRDCs are grouped into three categories focusing on different types of activities:
First established during World War II, FFRDCs, formerly called Federal Contract Research Centers (FCRCs), were semi-academic laboratories and research groups created by the federal government for defense research. FFRDCs grew out of the need to obtain objective assessments of military problems or programs of increasing technical complexity.
FFRDCs are operated, managed, and/or administered by either a university or consortium of universities, other not-for-profit or nonprofit organization, or an industrial firm as an autonomous organization that does not have shareholders or partners. FFRDCs do not have a prescribed organizational structure. They can be structured around traditional contractor-owned/contractor-operated relationships, government sponsored private organizations, or government-owned/contractor-operated relationships or can reflect various balances of contractor/government control and ownership.
Two other types of Public Interest Partnerships for FFRDCs are:
SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP
The FFRDC employs private sector resources to accomplish tasks integral to the mission and operation of the sponsoring agency and therefore have beyond normal access to Government and supplier data. They are required to conduct their business in a manner befitting their special relationship with the Government.
An FFRDC’s performance of its tasks requires that a special relationship exist between the FFRDC and its sponsor. That relationship includes:
The benefit of the FFRDC is that there is no profit motive or conflict of interest, and the FFRDC can therefore function as an independent, trusted advisor and honest broker. The FFRDC is answerable only to the government customer and has no vested interest in particular technologies or solutions.
It is important to recognize that the FFRDC does not compete for federal contracts against non-FFRDCs, but may compete with other FFRDCs to become a government organization’s FFRDC. The FFRDC is required to work within the purpose, mission, general scope, or competency as assigned by the sponsoring agency. The FFRDC must not perform work that is otherwise performed by a for profit corporation.
[References] UARC Management Plan
[References] FFRDC Management Plan "How-to-Guides"
[References] 02 May 2011 FFRDC Management Plan
[References] Dr. Ashton Carter's 02 May 2011 FFRDC Management Plan Approval Memorundum