Measuring the Statutory and Regulatory Constraints on DoD Acquisition

Multiple studies have attempted to estimate the cost to major weapon system programs of complying with acquisition-related statutes and regulations. Most have investigated the cost of compliance only at the contractor level, though program offices, the Services, and the Office of the Secretary of Defense would also incur such costs. The Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics asked RAND to evaluate the cost of compliance with statutes and regulations at the program office level. RAND designed a study to identify areas in which compliance with acquisition-related legislation or regulations has led to an identifiable penalty, such as time lost, additional cost incurred, loss of system capability, additional demands on critical staff, or some other imposition on the program office. This report describes the study’s methodology, focus, and data collection process, including the development of a Web-based data collection tool for use by program office personnel. The study is designed to answer the following questions: Which statues and regulations are considered most burdensome at the program office level? How can the cost of such compliance be measured? How much of the cost of compliance can be attributed to these “burdensome” statutes and regulations? and What measures can be taken to reduce this burden?