Performance-Based Acquisition

The network of companies, facilities, and workers (government and private) that research, design, develop, produce, and maintain military weapons systems and equipment for U.S. armed forces. It spans prime contractors down through subcontractors and suppliers, and DoD designates it a critical infrastructure sector subject to specific cybersecurity requirements like CMMC.

The primary regulation governing how executive branch agencies buy goods and services, covering solicitation, source selection, contract types, clauses, and administration. Codified in Title 48 of the CFR, it's supplemented by agency-specific rules like the DFARS and is currently being rewritten under the FAR overhaul to simplify and modernize its structure.

A federal law (5 U.S.C. § 552) giving the public the right to request records held by federal agencies, subject to nine exemptions covering classified information, trade secrets, and personal privacy, among others. Contractors run into FOIA when competitors request copies of awarded contracts or proposals, making it important to properly mark proprietary data for exemption.

A joint government-contractor review, held early in contract performance, to confirm that the program's performance measurement baseline realistically reflects the scope, schedule, and budget of the work. It's typically required on cost-type or incentive contracts subject to earned value management and is meant to surface risks in the plan before performance data starts flowing.

An event-driven document that lays out a program's key milestones and, for each one, the accomplishments and measurable criteria needed to call it complete. It's a top-down planning tool, paired with the time-based Integrated Master Schedule, used mainly on large DoD programs to track technical progress against the contract baseline.