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Home > Test and Evaluation > T and E Funding
 
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Title - T and E Funding

Question -

1) Is there a FAR, AFI or Title 10 statute requiring when OT be conducted on second and subsequent articles? 2) Who funds T&E costs after first article delivery? The Program Manager, MAJCOM A3? 3) Is there a FAR, AFI or Title 10 requirement on who/which organizations fund the OT tests?

Scenario - We have a series of ground control stations being fielded. The ops community requests each delivered station receive an OT evaluation to ensure the delivered system meets mission requirements. Reviewed FAR Subpart 9.3 and AFI 99-103 regarding T&E requirements and organizational responsibilities. The documents seem to be vague and open to subjectivity regarding OT on second and subsequent article deliveries.

Posted - 7/11/2012 5:30:00 PM

Subject Area - Test and Evaluation

  
 

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The short answer for Question 1) is “no”.  Operation test is about determining suitability and effectiveness for the “production representative” item, equipment, device, system or whatever.  The responsibility for this determination resides with the Director of Operational Test and Evaluation (DOT&E) according to Title 10.  The DOT&E uses the Service agencies (for the Air Force, AFOTEC or other organization like the 53d Wing or other T&E organization) to plan, conduct, record, analyze and report the testing.  After IOT&E the testing required depends on what was planned on and agreed to in the Program documentation, specifically the TEMP which should have addressed this at Milestone B and confirmed and delineated the agreement at Milestone C.  The TEMP should have also included the timing and resources needed to conduct agreed to follow-on testing like you describe.  Absent documentation in the TEMP and associated resources, if the user wants testing before acceptance, this would have to be negotiated, documented, planned and POMed for or funded out of someone’s hide. It is unlikely that the Program Office has the resources and funding at the PEO or Material Command level will not be easy to come by either.  The user might have funding but color of money could be a problem. The HQ AFMC A3 is responsible for test policy and his staff might be a good facilitator in this discussion.

The short answer to Question 2) is “it depends”.  As discussed in the answer to Question 1) above, the agreed to testing should have been documented in the TEMP.  The TEMP should cover the resources necessary.  Those resources should have been included in the POM submission for whatever organization had documented responsibility.

The short answer to Question 3) is “no”.  Your assessment of FAR Subpart 9.3 and AFI 99-103 regarding T&E requirements and organizational responsibilities; that the documents are vague/subjective regarding OT on second and subsequent article deliveries, is by design so that the effort may be tailored to meet the needs of the user while allowing for flexibility.  Again, these issues should be documented in the TEMP.  Failing that, it is likely that negotiation (hopefully with flexibility, creativity and a strong desire to meet the real needs of the user) between the organizations involved will be necessary.


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