Acquisition general testifies before subcommittee

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  • By Staff Sgt. Julie Weckerlein
  • Air Force Print News
WASHINGTON (AFPN) --  The military deputy for Air Force acquisition testified about service contracts procedures and defended the price tags of some of those contracts before the House Armed Services subcommittee on readiness here April 5.

“The Air Force recognizes that services acquisition is an area of high interest to the Congress,” said Lt. Gen. Donald Hoffman, military deputy for the office of the assistant secretary of the Air Force for acquisition. “We are committed to guiding change consistent with good governance and to fostering improvements and acquisition excellence.”

From aircraft to munitions and training to base operating support, the Air Force acquisition office is responsible for such equipment and services from contracts with civilian organizations, using the money set aside by Congress.

Subcommittee members expressed concern for the methods used to contract for certain products and services, like flight simulators, that may not require so much money, as well as the inclusion of small businesses throughout the country.

General Hoffman assured members that the entire acquisition policy is changing and evolving to make sure guidelines are followed and government funding is used wisely.
 
He said that while it’s difficult to compare the spending for flight training and simulators with that of other services, the price is substantiated considering all the factors.

When asked to compare the Air Force’s initial flight screening costs to the Navy program, General Hoffman said “that the direct costs of ground and flight training are essentially the same.  However, the Air Force has included other elements in the contract such as student lodging, food, transportation and security.”

General Hoffman said his office understands the need to analyze and clarify such spending, and that changes in policy are being made, similar to other operational changes being made service-wide.

“Air Force Smart Operations 21 will enact process re-engineering throughout the Air Force,” he said. “Use of commercially proven methodologies and business process re-engineering can yield not only savings for our tight modernization, operations and maintenance budgets, but also reduce cycle time and provide better products and services for the warfighter.”

The Air Force is also developing a process to review services acquisitions before they’re initiated, similar to a Defense Acquisition Board, General Hoffman said. This will allow the Air Force to review the requirements and any alternative solutions, and provide an assessment.

“Given that the acquisition community will continue to operate in an environment of constrained resources and high operational activity, we are refining our processes to be more responsive to warfighter needs and operate more efficiently,” General Hoffman said.