Document Type
Article
Publication Date
10-2019
Abstract
This article analyzes how development budget estimates, as reported in the Selected Acquisition Reports, change over time for primarily Air Force space programs. Government acquisition policy emphasizes the importance of developing an accurate point estimate for programs to ensure program budget efficiency; however, statistics imply space programs tend to underspend at the beginning of the program and to overspend at the end of Initial Operational Capability. This suggests new phasing methods that reflect the unique needs of space and perhaps other developmental-type programs by allocating more of the budget in later years rather than at the beginning of the program, which might decrease the possibility of budget and schedule growth. Additionally, budget estimate accuracy to actual budget increases as a program nears a specific fiscal year, indicating that only near-term budgets may be accurate for large Air Force space programs.
DOI
10.22594/dau.19-828.26.04
Source Publication
Defense Acquisition Research Journal
Recommended Citation
Elworth, C. J, White, E. D., Ritschel, J. D., & Brown, G. E. (2019). Air Force space programs: Comparing estimates to final development budgets. Defense Acquisition Research Journal, 26(4), 348–379. https://doi.org/10.22594/dau.19-828.26.04
Included in
Defense and Security Studies Commons, Finance and Financial Management Commons, Government Contracts Commons, Operational Research Commons
Comments
Defense ARJ is published by the Defense Acquisition University. The journal's online version is hosted at https://www.dau.edu/library/darj