10.2. Executive Review Forums
The following paragraphs address Department of Defense review forums and assessment reviews associated with major decision points in the acquisition lifecycle and other acquisition events requiring senior level review.
10.2.1. Defense Acquisition Board (DAB)
The DAB is the Department’s senior-level review forum for critical acquisition decisions concerning Acquisition Category (ACAT) ID programs. The DAB is also the principal review forum enabling the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics (USD(AT&L)) to fulfill Chapter 144A of title 10, United States Code responsibilities concerning ACAT IAM Major Automated Information System programs. The use of any other forum for USD(AT&L) review of ACAT ID or IAM programs is discouraged.
10.2.1.1. Defense Acquisition Board (DAB) Composition
The Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics (USD (AT&L)) is the Milestone Decision Authority (MDA) for Acquisition Category (ACAT) ID programs (and ACAT IAM programs that have not been delegated). The USD(AT&L) chairs the DAB.
DAB members are the following executives: the Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; the Secretaries of the Military Departments; the Under Secretary of Defense (Policy); the Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller); the Under Secretary of Defense (Personnel & Readiness); the Under Secretary of Defense (Intelligence); the DoD Chief Information Officer; the Director, Operational Test & Evaluation; the Director, Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation; the Deputy Chief Management Officer (for Defense Business Systems only), and Director, Acquisition Resources & Analysis (as the DAB Executive Secretary).
DAB advisors include the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Acquisition); Assistant Secretary of Defense (Logistics & Material Readiness); Assistant Secretary of Defense (Research and Engineering); Deputy Under Secretary of Defense (Installations and Environment); DoD Deputy General Counsel (Acquisition & Logistics); DoD Component Acquisition Executives; the relevant Overarching Integrated Product Team (OIPT) Leader(s); Director, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency; Deputy Director, Cost Assessment; Director, Defense Pricing; Director, Systems Engineering, Director, Developmental Test & Evaluation; Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense (Manufacturing and Industrial Base Policy); Director International Cooperation; Assistant Secretary of Defense (Legislative Affairs); Director, Performance Assessments and Root Cause Analysis; Cognizant Program Executive Officer(s) and Program Manager(s). The USD(AT&L) may request that other department officials participate in reviews, as required.
10.2.1.2. Conduct of Defense Acquisition Board (DAB) Reviews
DAB Reviews are conducted for ACAT ID and IAM programs at major decision points, including; the Materiel Development Decision, the Technology Development decision, the pre-Engineering and Manufacturing Development (EMD) review, the EMD decision, the Production decision, the Full-Rate Production decision Review/Full Deployment decision Review, at Interim Program Reviews, and at other times as necessary. Whenever possible, these reviews should take place in the context of the existing Integrated Product Team and acquisition milestone decision review processes. An Acquisition Decision Memorandum (ADM) signed by the USD(AT&L) or other delegated decision authority documents the decision(s) and program direction resulting from the review. Any memorandum the USD(AT&L) signs concerning ACAT ID or IAM programs is referred to as an ADM and must be staffed by the DAB Executive Secretary (Director, Acquisition Resources and Analysis).
The USD(AT&L) is the Defense Acquisition Executive (DAE) and generally chairs the DAB unless he has otherwise delegated the chair for a particular program or event. However, ACAT ID and IAM decision and program reviews should be referred to as "DAB Reviews" or "DAB Meetings" and not "DAE Reviews."
10.2.1.3. Defense Acquisition Board (DAB) Presentation
The DAB review is intended to be a measured, intellectual examination of unresolved issues. Issues that have previously been resolved need not be discussed. Issue deliberation should focus on the risks and opportunities associated with the potential courses of action and evidentiary arguments should be supported by critical, objective, factual data.
The OIPT Leader is expected to shape the DAB briefing to ensure that it captures and objectively represents the unresolved issues still requiring discussion, the data to support such discussion, and all other critical information necessary to conduct a successful DAB review—above all, information pertaining to the affordability and cost effectiveness of the program. At the beginning of each DAB, the OIPT leader will state the decision sought (or other purpose for the review) and immediately tee up the unresolved issues. The OIPT leader will ensure that evidentiary arguments (pro and con) are presented and supporting data will be presented by the appropriate principal DAB member or advisor. Following the discussion of the issues and the affordability and cost effectiveness of the program, the remaining mandatory information charts will be presented and reviewed.
A notional set of DAB Milestone Decision briefing charts is available for use. It is expected that, except for the limited number labeled “mandatory,” these charts will be used as a guide only and will be appropriately tailored for the specific program and decision under consideration. A set of information checklists is also available to aid in functional reviews of required information during the DAB preparation process.
10.2.1.4. Acquisition Decision Memorandum (ADM) Coordination and ADM Action Item Tracking
The decisions and direction resulting from of each milestone and other major decision point reviews must be documented in an ADM. All ACAT ID and ACAT IAM ADMs are written by the office of the Director, Acquisition Resources and Analysis (ARA) and the pertinent Overarching Product Team (OIPT) Leader. ARA staffs all ADMs for coordination. Prior to release for formal staffing, ARA submits each ADM to the Principal Deputy Under Secretary for Defense (Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics) (PDUSD(AT&L)) or the Under Secretary for Defense (Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics) for initial review.
All ADM-directed actions are tracked and monitored by the OIPT leaders and reported for closure, compilation, and summation in the recently established Defense Acquisition Executive (DAE) Action Tracker (DAT) automated system (https://ebiz.acq.osd.mil/DAT). ARA maintains the DAT system and will periodically review the status of overdue ADM actions with the PDUSD(AT&L), the Component Acquisition Executives, the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Acquisition), and the OIPT Leaders.
10.2.1.5. Preparation for Defense Acquisition Board (DAB) Reviews
Programs must be adequately reviewed far enough ahead of a DAB meeting so that all issues associated with the desired decision can be identified and, optimally, resolved prior to the DAB review. Any issues that cannot be resolved prior to the DAB review should be well defined and presented with the relevant data needed to decide on a course of action among the available alternatives. Resolving any remaining issues should be the focus of the DAB meeting itself.
Early in the DAB preparation process, the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Acquisition) (ASD(A)) will conduct a DAB Planning Meeting (DPM) with the Overarching Integrated Product Team (OIPT) Leader and a service or agency representative to discuss the pending decision and any open issues that may be anticipated to exist at the time of the DAB.
In order to ensure DAB reviews focus on issues and the data that affects issue resolution, the Principal Deputy Under Secretary of Defense (Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics) (PDUSD(AT&L)) or the Under Secretary of Defense (Acquisition Technology, and Logistics) (USD(AT&L)) will hold a DAB Readiness Meeting (DRM) as soon as possible after the final pre-DAB OIPT meeting—approximately one work week before each scheduled DAB. The DRM will focus on the purpose of the DAB, discuss and consider any outstanding issues on the specific program(s), and determine the readiness of the program(s) to proceed to a DAB for a discussion/decision.
Based upon the results of the DRM, the PDUSD(AT&L) or the USD(AT&L) will determine the whether to proceed as scheduled; to postpone the DAB while additional information is obtained, or whether the decision may be made and documented in an Acquisition Decision Memorandum without convening a formal DAB meeting (a.k.a. a “paper” DAB). If there are no issues associated with the requested decision, then a formal meeting should not be necessary.
10.2.1.5.1. Preparation Timeline for Defense Acquisition Board (DAB) Reviews
The nominal timeline (in business days) to support the DPM, DRM and DAB is listed below:
0 – DAB
-3 – DAB Read-ahead submitted
-5 – DRM
-10 – OIPT Report submitted
-20 – OIPT conducted
-30 – Final Document Check to Support OIPT
-40 – DAB Planning Meeting
-45 – Submittal of Final Documents Due to OSD
The OIPT Chair will conduct meetings and form working groups as needed to support the DAB preparation process.
10.2.1.5.2. Defense Acquisition Board (DAB) Planning Meeting (DPM)
The DPM is a short informal meeting conducted by the Assistant Deputy Secretary of Defense ( Acquisition) (ASD(A)) approximately two months before the scheduled DAB review. The DPM serves as a “heads up” for that upcoming review and provides an opportunity to ensure that the Overarching Integrated Product Team (OIPT) Lead and the Component Acquisition Executive (CAE) staff are prepared to adequately cover any concerns that the Under Secretary of Defense, Acquisition Technology, and Logistics may have at the DAB review.
The purpose is to give the CAE and the OIPT Lead time to examine such potential issues and any actions needed to deal with major concerns that have already been raised. Content for the DPM will be at the discretion of the OIPT Chair and service (or agency) presenting the program for DAB review.
The OIPT chair, in coordination with the relevant service or agency will schedule this meeting, which will nominally be at least two to three months before the DAB is scheduled.
Attendance at the DPM is limited to the OIPT lead plus one staff member, two or three people representing the pertinent CAE(s), and the DAB Executive Secretary plus one staff member--unless otherwise directed, or approved, by the ASD(A).
10.2.1.5.3. Defense Acquisition Board (DAB) Readiness Meeting (DRM)
The DRM is a small, informal meeting conducted by the Principal Deputy Under Secretary of Defense, Acquisition Technology, and Logistics (PDUSD(AT&L)) or the Under Secretary of Defense, Acquisition Technology, and Logistics (USD(AT&L)) approximately two weeks before the DAB review and after the Overarching Integrated Product Team (OIPT) meeting. The purpose of the DRM is for the PDUSD(AT&L) or the USD(AT&L) to review the OIPT results to understand any remaining open issues that the DAB would have to consider and—to review the proposed DAB presentation, including materials/data necessary to resolve any issues that would be presented to the DAB to support the decision.
Content for the DRM will be specific to the decision sought for the particular program and will be issue-focused. The actual briefing material and backup material for the DAB itself should be ready for review—with the presentation in final form. The proposed DAB brief and the OIPT Leader’s report should be included in the DRM read ahead.
Attendance at the DRM is limited to the OIPT lead plus one staff member, two or three people representing the pertinent CAE(s), and the DAB Executive Secretary plus one staff member--unless otherwise directed, or approved, by the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Acquisition). (On an “as required” basis, other OSD representatives may also be requested to attend to discuss unresolved issues planned to be addressed at the DAB review.)
The DRM is not intended to be a decision meeting; however, in some cases, it may lead to a recommendation or decision to conduct a "paper DAB" review.
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