WASHINGTON, Jan. 7, 2015 – The Defense Department’s top acquisitions official today released a new version of the acquisitions corps’ guiding document: Department of Defense Instruction 5000.02, Operation of the Defense Acquisition System.
The updated instruction cancels the interim version that was implemented Nov. 25, 2013, Frank Kendall, undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics, said in a memorandum accompanying the release.
More than ever, the new instruction emphasizes that acquisitions programs should be tailored to the product being acquired, Kendall wrote.
Updated Instruction
For example, he said, instead of the single sample program structure contained in previous versions, the updated instruction contains several. The examples are intended to serve as starting points, not a set of alternatives from which to choose, Kendall added.
“Program managers and program executive officers should use these models as references to assist their thought processes and analysis,” the undersecretary wrote.
The new instruction implements many of the policies and practices introduced in the Better Buying Power initiatives, he said.
Continuous Process Improvement
“Better Buying Power is based on the concept of continuous process improvement. We will never stop learning from our experience, and we will never completely exhaust the potential for improvement in how we acquire weapons and other systems for the department,” Kendall said. “Therefore, I do not consider this or any version of DoDI 5000.02 to be the final word on acquisition policy.”
A living demonstration of that unceasing drive to improve, he said, is the ongoing work between his office and Congress to simplify and streamline the regulatory requirements imposed upon program managers.
“I have also already initiated work on a new enclosure that will deal with the increasingly serious problem of designing for and managing cybersecurity in our programs,” the undersecretary said.
The new instruction provides guidance for acquisitions professionals, Kendall said, but it is also a tool they -- and the operational, programming and intelligence professionals they work with -- can use to deliver products that meet the needs of warfighters and provide value to the American taxpayer.