This Plan provides guidance and procedures for the management, oversight and use of Department of Defense FFRDCs. It supersedes the DoD FFRDC Management Plan of May 15, 2003, and any previously issued plans.
FFRDCs were established to perform the mission of providing the Department with unique capabilities in the many areas where the government cannot attract and retain personnel in sufficient depth and numbers. FFRDCs operate in the public interest, free from organizational conflicts of interest, and can therefore assist DoD in ways that industry, non-profit contractors that work for industry, and for-profit contractors cannot. Our FFRDCs maintain long-term capability in core competencies in domains that continue to be of great importance to the Department, such as analysis, engineering, acquisition support, and research & development. FFRDCs are immensely valuable capabilities, and the Department should use all means available to preserve and strengthen them.
Over the years FFRDCs have been significant contributors to maintaining the superiority of United States forces. FFRDCs perform work that is within the FFRDCs’ purpose, mission and general scope of effort as established by DoD.
DoD uses FFRDCs through contracts with universities or privately organized, not-for-profit corporations and acquires their capabilities in accordance with 10 U.S.C., 2304(c)(3)(B); Part 35.017 of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR); and Part 235.017 of the DoD Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS).
Today, seven (7) FFRDC Parent Organizations manage and operate FFRDCs (see Appendix C) for DoD. FFRDCs operate with the management flexibility necessary to attract and retain high-quality personnel that provide an independent perspective on the critical issues.
Due to the importance and unique status of FFRDCs, the DoD must ensure their use is optimal and appropriate and that effective guidance and procedures are implemented to manage and oversee this unique capability. That is the purpose of this Plan.
