Acquisition Strategy Guide

The Department of Defense policy requires that military Program Managers (PMs) develop a tailored acquisition strategy that will provide the conceptual basis of the overall plan that a PM follows in program execution. A strategy that is carefully developed and consistently executed is one of the keys to a successful program. It is a difficult and challenging task to blend the multitude of requirements for a system acquisition into an acquisition strategy that also represents a consensus among the organizations that influence or are influenced by the program.

The purpose of this Guide is to provide, in a single source, information that PMs should find useful in structuring, developing, and executing an acquisition strategy. A process for developing and executing an acquisition strategy is provided together with criteria for evaluating a proposed strategy. However, this Guide alone does not provide the PM with a definitive acquisition strategy for ones particular program. Well informed, educated, and innovative applications and judgments concerning the particular mission need are necessary to structure a successful acquisition strategy. PMs should continue to seek guidance, data, and assistance from available sources as they prepare and revise their acquisition strategy.