The alpha contracting process involves many activities performed jointly by the Government and contractor teams. This process innovation offers a number of advantages and performance enhancements, such as improving communications, decreasing the number of formal RFP iterations, revisions and rework required to correct misunderstandings, errors and mistakes, reducing the cycle time (procurement administrative lead time or PALT) required for contracting and others. The benefits of Alpha Acquisition are not limited to reducing procurement acquisition lead times. One benefit includes the early involvement of DCAA personnel in the immediate utilization of rate recommendations, rather than at some later date when significant updates would have occurred. This results in a cost and time savings for DCAA by precluding subsequent reviews. DCMC receives a cost and time savings by performing one review rather than several as a result of proposal updates. The contractor benefits by significantly reducing proposal preparation costs. Alpha Acquisition is a framework for expediting the acquisition process. The purpose is to eliminate any unnecessary processes and reviews, and to streamline and conduct in parallel the required ones. Nevertheless, the same issues addressed in standard procurements are addressed in Alpha Acquisition, the same questions asked, and the same support provided. However, it is all done much more quickly and started earlier in the process.
