7.10.6. Best Practices, Tools, and Methods
7.10.6.1. DoD Enterprise Software Initiative
7.10.6.2. SmartBUY
7.10.6.3. Commercial, Off-the-shelf (COTS) Testing
7.10.6.4. Emerging Information Technology (IT) Market Research and Commercial, Off-the-shelf (COTS) IT Lessons Learned
7.10.6. Best Practices, Tools, and Methods
Various methodologies, toolsets, and information repositories have been developed to assist the Program Manager (PM) in the implementation of COTS software-based programs. The remainder of this section provides the PM descriptions of best practices, available tools and methods, and critical success factors for use in the acquisition of commercially-based solutions. Additionally, Chapter 4 of this Guidebook, Systems Engineering, presents a complete discussion of applicable systems engineering practices, to include a discussion of the Open Systems Approach.
7.10.6.1. DoD Enterprise Software Initiative
The DoD Enterprise Software Initiative (DoD ESI) is a joint, Chief Information Officer (CIO)-sponsored project designed to: "Lead in the establishment and management of enterprise COTS information technology (IT) agreements, assets, and policies for the purpose of lowering total cost of ownership across the DoD, Coast Guard and Intelligence communities." DoD ESI is a key advisor to the DoD Strategic Sourcing Directors Board. With active working members from OSD, Department of the Army, Department of the Navy, Department of the Air Force, Defense Logistics Agency, Defense Information Systems Agency, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, Defense Intelligence Agency, Director of National Intelligence, and Defense Finance and Accounting Service, the DoD ESI team collaborates to create Enterprise Software Agreements (ESA) for use by DoD, the Intelligence Community, and U.S. Coast Guard IT buyers. ESA negotiations and management activities are performed by IT acquisition professionals within participating DoD Components, who are designated ESI "Software Product Managers (SPM)." SPM are supported by experienced IT contracting experts.
The DoD ESI can use the Defense Working Capital Fund to provide "up-front money" for initial wholesale software buys and multi-year financing for DoD customers. This funding process assures maximum leverage of the combined buying power of the Department of Defense, producing large software discounts.
On-line resources include the DoD ESI website listing general products, services and procedures; the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement Subpart 208.74; DoD Instruction 5000.2, Enclosure 5, Paragraph 6 and DoD Component requirements for compliance with DoD Enterprise Software Initiative policies.
7.10.6.2. SmartBUY
SmartBUY is a federal government strategic sourcing initiative intended to support effective enterprise level software management and achieve government-wide cost avoidance through aggregate buying of commercial software. Besides providing reduced prices and more favorable terms/conditions, the SmartBUY program assists agencies to achieve greater standardization, improved configuration management, and more robust Information Technology security.
The General Services Administration (GSA) manages the SmartBUY Program, and leads the interagency team in negotiating government-wide enterprise licenses for software. The GSA SmartBUY Program focuses on commercial-off-the-shelf software that is generally acquired using license agreements with terms and prices that vary based on volume. The GSA SmartBUY Program was formally announced on June 2, 2003 in an Office of Management and Budget Memorandum to the federal agencies. The DoD ESI Team has worked closely with the SmartBUY project since its inception, and negotiates and manages many of the SmartBUY agreements as a partner to GSA.
The DoD ESI team implements SmartBUY within the DoD through the joint DoD Deputy CIO and DPAP Policy Memorandum of December 22, 2005: Department of Defense (DoD) Support to the SmartBUY Initiative. This policy mandates use of SmartBUY agreements when user requirements match a product on SmartBUY, and also provides the framework for migrating existing Enterprise Software Initiative Enterprise Agreements to SmartBUY Enterprise Agreements. The OMB Memo establishes requirements to be followed by federal departments and agencies. Specifically, federal agencies are to: develop a migration strategy and take contractual actions as needed to move to the government-wide license agreements as quickly as practicable; and integrate agency common desktop and server software licenses under the leadership of the SmartBUY team. This includes, to the maximum extent feasible, refraining from renewing or entering into new license agreements without prior consultation with, and consideration of the views of, the SmartBUY team.
The Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Committee has developed draft regulations to implement SmartBUY.
7.10.6.3. Commercial, Off-the-shelf (COTS) Testing
On September 14, 2010, the Director, Operational Test and Evaluation, signed an updated memorandum entitled "Guidelines for Conducting Operational Test and Evaluation of Information and Business Systems." The guidelines help streamline and simplify COTS software testing procedures. They assist in tailoring pre-deployment test events to the operational risk of a specific system increment acquired under OSD oversight. For increments that are of insignificant to moderate risk, these guidelines streamline the operational test and evaluation process by potentially reducing the degree of testing. Simple questions characterize the risk and environment upon which to base test decisions, for example, "If the increment is primarily COTS, or government off-the-shelf items, what is the past performance and reliability?"
7.10.6.4. Emerging Information Technology (IT) Market Research and Commercial, Off-the-shelf (COTS) IT Lessons Learned
Section 881 of the FY 2008 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) requires the Department to have a Clearing-House for Rapid Identification and Dissemination of Commercial Information Technologies. To meet this need, a partnership between the Under Secretary of Defense (USD) for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics (AT&L), the Director of Defense Research and Engineering (DDR&E), the Defense Technical Information Center (DTIC) and the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Networks and Information Integration/DoD Chief Information Officer (DoD CIO) was formed to develop a capability that 1) allows better visibility into the Department's technology needs, 2) attracts non-traditional defense emerging technology suppliers, and 3) allows for review and discussion of COTS IT products in wide use throughout the Department. This effort, termed "DoD Techipedia" comprised of both an internal, DoD CAC-only Wiki-based collaboration area, and an external Wiki (internal.dodtechipedia.mil or a separate redirected .mil site) where DoD Capability buyers and their representatives can collaborate with Industry on a range of technology areas. Regarding wide-use COTS IT products, the objective is to raise the awareness of Government and commercial sector practices relative to the use of COTS software.
DAG Tutorial 
