Joint Acquisition Review Board Essay

The Joint Acquisition Review Board Process

This capstone project examines the Joint Acquisition Review Board. After reviewing relevant literature from various sources the Joint Acquisition Review Board process was able to be broken down into designated groups. The members of the board are broken down to their various tasks. This capstone discusses on how to distinguish if the Joint Acquisition Review Board will need to be used when preparing a contract.

Table of Contents

Page
Abstract i

Chapter

I Introduction 5

Background of the Joint Acquisition Review Board 5

Statement of Hypothesis 6 Significance of the Joint Acquisition
Review Board 7

Breakdown of members in the Joint Acquisition Review Board 8

Qualifications 11

Responsibilities 12

II Review of the Relevant Literature 14

Research on Joint Acquisition Review Board 14

Analysis of the Joint Acquisition Review Board Process 15

Research on the members of the JARB 16

Summary 24

III Research Methodology

Research Method and Design 25

Definition of Variables 26

Materials and Instruments 28 Data Collection, Processing, and Analysis 29

Methods Assumptions, Limitations, and Delimitations 31

IV Results 33

Statement of research 35 Review of Hypothesis 35 Results Research 35 Results Responsibilities 36 Results of the proposal process 37 Results of recommendations 40
V Discussion 44 Analysis of JARB members 45 Analysis of responsibilities 49 Analysis of the Acquisition Review Process 50 VI Conclusions 53 Characteristics of the Research 53 Conclusions from Research 55 Members that make up the Joint Acquisition Review Board 55 Joint Acquisition Review Board Process 58
VII Recommendations 61 Recommendations for future Research 62 Topics of Research 65 Recommendations from Research 66

References 68

Appendices

Chapter One
Introduction to JARB

When deciding on a topic for my capstone project I knew I wanted to do my research on a topic that would help me when I get out in to the career field. I chose the Joint Acquisition Review Board as my topic because I felt I would be able to gain new knowledge of the Acquisition process that I could utilize in the position I would like to do when I graduate. What I would like to accomplish after completing the Capstone is to have a clear understanding on what the JARB is and what the JARB process entails. The definition of the Joint Acquisition Review Board is a joint task force or sub unified commander established board used to review and make recommendations for controlling critical common user logistic supplies and services within the joint operations area and to recommend the proper sources of support for approved support requirements. The Joint Acquisition Review Board is also known as JARB. It is hypothesized that the Joint Acquisition Review Board is used to review and make recommendations for controlling critical common user logistic supplies and services within the joint operational area.
The JARB is not contracting board. “Its main role is to make specific approvals and prioritization recommendations of all GCC directed, Subordinate JFC controlled, high value, and high visibility CUL requirements and to include recommendations on the proper source of support for these requirements. (Operational Contract Support 2008)” The JARB focuses on what the requirements priorities and source of support are. They determine what common user logistics support needs to be controlled. They also review requirements and recommend priority of support requests. The JARB recommends acquisition methodology to be used to meet requirements. Joint Acquisition Review Board is used for validation or approval of purchases for supplies, services, and equipment over $200K or LOGCAP expenditures over $50K.

JP 4-10, Operational Contract Support establishes doctrine for planning, conducting and assessing contracting and contractor management functions in support of joint operations. “The JP 4-10 directs the creation of a Joint Acquisition Review Board specifically to control requirements generation and prioritization. JP 4-10 also directs creation of a Joint Contacting Support Board for the purposes of assigning prioritized requirements to the best contracting activity. (Borzoo)”

The JARB is utilized to coordinate and control the requirements generation and prioritization of joint common user logistics supplies and services that are needed in support of the operational mission and is normally chaired by the subordinate JFC. The JARB’s job is to focus on what the requirements priorities and source of support are. The JARB ensures that proposed expenditures are valid and necessary for the United States to accomplish its mission and meet standards. They coordinate and control the generation of requirements and the prioritization of supplies and services needed in support of the mission. They ensure that the standards established by the references are followed and that those inappropriate or unauthorized purchases are not executed. Another purpose for the JARB is to review proposed procurements and claims settlements that support operations in the task force area of responsibility.

“The JARB focuses on acquisition solutions for CUL and other major requirements that exceed LPSB established thresholds. They also draft charter in coordination. The JARB is structured during steady state to identify, at the component level, the requirements that must be satisfied through contract support.( Hq norad and usnorthcom 2010)” The requirements are then paired with existing contract capability or translated to contracting packages for components to be prepared and staged. The JARB can be used to validate all non construction requirements. A Joint Facilities Utilization Board is used to review and validate construction requirements. A typical JARB or JFUB, which meets weekly, may review dozens of separate projects or proposals for funding.

“The JARB is made up of representatives of the service component logistic staffs, special operations forces, component staff, DLA, Defense Contract Management Agency, Joint force engineer, J6, Joint force comptroller, staff judge advocate, and other JFC staff members as directed .(Defense procurement and acquisition policy defense pricing)”

Special Operations Forces are those active and reserve component forces of the military services designed by the secretary of defense and specifically organized, trained, and equipped to conduct and support special operations. Each member is highly trained in general combat and small unit tactics. The Special Operations group is primarily trained for specific type of missions. The continued evolution and development of modern SOF is a result of 50 years of experience, including a world war, three large regional wars, many similar conflicts and operations other than war. “SOF has witnessed periods of improvisation, rapid build-ups and subsequent rapid drawdowns, some magnificent successes and some equally spectacular failures. The following SOF Truths capture the essence of lessons learned over the past decades, and provide a foundation for thinking about SOF today and in the future. ("United states special," 2011)”
DLA is known as the Defense Logistics Agency. “They are the department of defenses largest logistics combat support agency, providing worldwide logistics support in both peacetime and wartime to the military services as well as several civilian agencies and foreign countries. The Agency sources and provides nearly 100 percent of the consumable items America’s Military forces need to operate, from food, fuel and energy, to uniforms, medical supplies, and construction and barrier equipment. They employ nearly 27,000 civilian and military employees and operate in forty eight states and twenty eight countries. (Waller, 2011)” The DLA manages nine supply chains and 5 million items. They manage twenty six distribution depots worldwide and provide logistic support to other federal agencies and state and local governments. As America’s combat logistics support agency, the Defense Logistics Agency provides the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, other federal agencies, and combined and allied forces with the full spectrum of logistics, acquisition and technical services. DLA also supplies more than 84 percent of the military’s spare parts. In addition, the Agency manages the reutilization of military equipment, provides catalogs and other logistics information products, and offers document automation and production services. The Defense Logistics Agency is headquartered at Fort Belvoir, Va. As a global enterprise, wherever the United States has a military presence, DLA is likely there as well.

Defense Contract Management Agency is a Department of Defense component that works directly with defense suppliers to help ensure that DOD, Federal and allied government supplies and services are delivered on time, at projected cost, and meet all performance requirements. “The DCMA professionals serve as information brokers and implant representatives for military, Federal, and allied government buying agencies, both during the initial stages of the acquisition cycle and throughout the life of the resulting contracts. Before the contract award the DCMA provides advice and services to help construct effective solicitations, identify potential risks, select the most capable contractors, and write contracts that meet the needs of their customers in DOD, Federal and allied government agencies. After the contract award the DCMA monitors contractors’ performance and management systems to ensure that cost, product performance, and delivery schedules are in compliance with the terms and conditions of the contracts. (DCMA, 2012)”
The J6 is also known as the Joint staff, command and control. The J6 ensures delivery of decision quality information by managing systems, people and processes to enhance transatlantic security and defend the homeland. “The staff operates theater campaign plans which enable EUCOM components to perform their missions, engage with partners, and provide comprehensive communication and information interoperability as part of a whole of government approach. J6 strives to satisfy mission support, net-centric, information sharing and knowledge management requirements as it enables EUCOM priorities. ("United states European," )” The joint community war fighter chief information officer provides advice and recommendations on information technology and national security system matters to the CJCS including technical support to the J-3 and J4 for assessment of communications requirements in combatant command plans that require contracted support. J-6 performs normal joint communications support related actions to include coordinating communications support, website management, etc. The J-6 normally would be a communications/signal officer with no specific rank or contracting related experience.
Staff Judge Advocate is a judge advocate with fiscal law expertise designated as the JARB legal advisor after consultation and coordination with the Judge Advocate. The designated legal advisor will review all requirements that are recommended for approval by the JARB for legal sufficiency. He or She is responsible for providing legal services for the Commander, Joint Forces Headquarters, Joint Force Headquarters staff, and to plan and coordinate legal services. Special qualifications are that one must be a graduate of a law school acceptable to the Department of the Army and be a member of the bar of a Federal court or of the highest court in any state. The Judge Advocate furnishes legal advice and services to the Active Army and the United States Army Reserves in civil and criminal legal practice, including the fields of business, property, administration, and financial operations under the jurisdiction of the District Attorney. The JARB works along with the joint facilities utilization board (JFUB). “The JFUB is a joint board that evaluates and reconciles component requests for real estate, use of existing facilities, inter-Service support, and construction to ensure compliance with Joint Civil-Military Engineering Board priorities. (Enslow, 11)” The use of the JFUB is a complex process that incorporates checks and balances designed to ensure that a unit 's operational needs are met and fraud, waste, and abuse are prevented. The JFUB begins when a unit drafts a letter of justification that details the case for its request for a construction project and ends, ideally, when that unit receives a product that enhances its ability to conduct its mission. The designated JARB president is responsible for establishing and running the JARB.
“Their schedule would include to schedule meetings, including regular, special, walkthrough, electronic, and emergency meetings. A responsibility would be to determine when the emergency meetings should be conducted. If a special meeting is required the JARB president will set a time, place, and a minimum membership that will be required to attend the special meeting. (Department of the Army)” He or She would be responsible for presiding over all meetings. Another responsibility would be tabling requests for further discussion if a submitted packet is insufficient to make a qualified recommendation. He or She would provide recommendations to the approving authority on the validity of the
proposal.

The qualifications for a Joint Acquisition Review Board administrator are to advise and coordinate with units on JARB package requirements by answering questions, providing information, and assisting with corrective actions. They must review submittal/package and ensure all required documents. They will then upload completed/approved packages into the JARB portal. They will also oversee the flow of packages from start to finish through the use of the tracking process management tool. They will advise the chief of staff of status of JARB/ JFUB proposals as required, manage JARB / JFUB meetings to include maintaining regular schedules, managing notices to attendees, and recording meeting results. They will review existing policies and procedures for JARB/ JFUB program management and rewrites and other logistical support functions including fuel management, vehicles registration/maintenance, and facilities maintenance support.

The JARB secretary is a member of the area support team or the task force staff and may be a local national direct or indirect hired employee. The secretary is responsible for being available during normal duty hours for all requiring activities. She is responsible for establishing procedures for coordinating and scheduling appointments at available times and locations. Another responsibility for the secretary is assembling the JARB packets. These packets are considered to be classified as Confidential or Secret. They are prepared by an appointee of the JARB president. The appointee is required to prepare the minutes of the JARB meetings for the packets and distribute them to the proper members. The packets will usually contain a statement of work or a detailed item description. In the packet they will identify a cost and provide a cost benefit analysis. The secretary is to write and maintain the minutes of the JARB meetings. The minuets will include a written record of each board members comment. Her responsibilities also include scheduling and coordinating meetings, providing advance packets to board members and providing assistance to the requiring activities in developing their packets.

The JARB must review and approve planned and unplanned procurements before funds are committed.
A proposal can be met using a service contract. The proposal should involve changes to infrastructure. It will extend or change the scope of previously approved procurements. The proposal can also involve contract renewals, new leases, lease renewals, construction, repair, and maintenance requirements. The JARB president will recommend the approval or disapproval of every project or item the board reviews. Then each member must provide an opinion, recommendation, concurrence or nonoccurrence, or comment, thereby advising the appropriate approving command authority. During the meetings the board members should be actively involved in determining the validity of a requirement and ensuring its purchase benefits for the operation in the long run. All board members are required to research issues that will be reviewed before the JARB meeting. The president must give each board member the opportunity to comment on the contents in the packet and what was discussed during the
meeting.

Chapter 2

Research on the JARB

Certain items require the JARB approval before one can proceed with their acquisition. These items will be identified by the joint force commander. Items that require the JARB’s approval generally include procurements costing over $200,000, force protection items, and other special interest items that must be prioritized for procurement. If the item that one is working with has to go before the JARB one must be prepared to justify their acquisition request to the JARB. The Joint Acquisition Review Board meets weekly to review these documents.

When purchasing limited resources the combatant Command establishes a Commander in Chief logistics Procurement Support Board, Joint Acquisition Review Board, or similar purchase review committee, the contractor will be required to coordinate local purchase of goods and services designed as limited, in accordance with instructions provided by the Administrative Contracting Officer or the Contracting Officer’s designated representative for validating requirements and selecting sources. However, only a contracting officer can give direction to the contractor, and only the contractor can give direction to its employees.

The JARB’s members and advisors typically represent wide ranging institutional perspectives and interests. Each member of the JARB has a single voice and the appropriate approving official will make the final decision. The JCC member and DCMA ACO advisor must be present at all JARB meetings. The contractor is called in only to answer specific questions and then is dismissed for the remainder of the meeting. The JARB members should be the primary staff or deputy.

With regard to Source Selection, the JARB asks who is best suited to provide the service, applying best value criteria. Following JARB validation and source selection, the contractor submits its plan for filling the order and the customer bears responsibility for approving, rejecting, or seeking to modify it. Although JARB evaluations are tied directly to the contactor’s desirability in providing a particular new service, the process implicitly raises the question, “Is the Army satisfied with the contractor’s performance?”

Regularly scheduled JARB and AFEB meetings provide other venues for coordination. They may also serve coordinating functions beyond their defined roles in acquisitions and performance evaluations, merely by bringing many participants together in one place at one time. The JARB and AFEB may serve integrative functions face to face with the contractor, but they are not necessarily cohesion promoting institutions. They do not encourage a two way flow of information of ideas in planning or executing operations, except in so far as the AFEB allows or requires the contractor to contribute to its meetings. The JARB and AFEB have more narrowly focused roles in the acquisition and evaluation processes, respectively. Nevertheless, merely bringing many participants together in one place at one time, even if they are primarily U.S. Government participants, can facilitate broader coordination.

During the JARB process to evaluate the necessity of the proposed requirement, the availability of funds, the cost and quality of service, and the context of the requirement, members of the board should ask questions such as what is the funding source for the requirement. Another question that the members must answer is was this item in the budget and how has the company gotten along without it for so long. They should also be able to ask why this is a valid requirement for the company, why wont cheaper versions suit the need and is the vendor or contractor you recommended the best source/only source that the company looked at. Other questions include is this part of a larger project, and will other purchases need to be made to produce a complete useable facility or to produce a complete and functional system.

In the context of orders of new work, the JARB’s source selection process may mitigate some cost and quality related performance risks by posting the option of alternative suppliers. To the extent that the threat of the Army’s choosing an alternative supplier by it organic, host nation, or contact is credible, the selection process may induce competition among suppliers and improve their performance. In major operations, there may be a requirement for some designated supplies and service requests to be processed thorough an ARB or JARB for approval and prioritization. The items likely to be controlled via an ARB or JARB process include high dollar items, protection or safety supplies, signal supplies, services, and so forth.

After receiving an approved purchase request from the unit commander or the ARB/JARB, the assigned RM will fund the document and forward it to the designated contracting support office. The Contracting Office Chief will take responsibility for the procurement action at the time it receives the funded document and will assign the action to a CCO office. The Contract Specialist will provide guidance to requiring activity in their preparation of any sole source, or justification and approval processes necessary to comply with the FAR or any mission specific assigned approval processes. The contracting officer or designed contracting specialist will work the procurement through a source selection evaluation process and conduct negotiations as required. The contracting officer will then make the final award as appropriate.

Sometimes to get a project approved by the JARB and the Joint Facilities Uilization Board the brigade will be required by the established joint force commander’s policy to develop a performance work statement. A PWS is essentially a detailed set of written standards for everything one wants to contractor to perform or produce. A PWS needs to be very specific. It should include descriptions such as size, dimensions, colors, materials, and unique characteristics. The PWS should also include examples of any graphics that should be displayed on the sign, including details of the graphics’ sizes and colors.
Another requirement that the joint force commander may require is the development of an Independent Government Cost Estimate. The IGCE is known as the best calculation of what will have to be paid for an item or service. An IGCE is integral for awarding contracts, task orders, work assignments, projecting future costs, and planning budgets. IGCEs quantify the cost for the work that the company needs done. IGCEs must be the Governments own estimate and is not to be based on information from a contractor who will be bidding on the work. The IGCEs should never be disclosed to the contractor prior to their plan or cost estimate submission.
There are several steps in the process to develop an IGCE. The first step is to develop a requirement analysis; this is called a statement of work. One will also need to look for historical data, which would include similar prior work, professional materials, and expertise of the contract staff, USACE, or coworkers. After looking for historical data one must use the bottom up approach. The bottom up approach entails breaking down work into separate activities. A very important thing to remember when coming up with the IGCE is to always document all assumptions. One must add in amounts for subcontracts, materials, equipment, and travel, once that is calculated one must add up their labor cost and other direct costs. Once these steps are completed one must sign and date the IGCE.

The Acquisition Review Board is the cost component board within a department that determines whether a proposed acquisition has met the requirement of key phases in the acquisition life cycle framework and is able to proceed to the next phase and eventual full production and deployment. The ARB is comprised of the Acquisition Decision Authority, the under secretary for management, the under secretary for science and technology, the assistant secretary for policy, the general counsel, the chief financial officer, user representatives from components sponsoring the capability, and the other officials within the department to be appropriate to the subject matter by the Acquisition Decision Authority.
Acquisition Decision Authority is the official responsible for ensuring compliance with the directive by reviewing and approving the movement of acquisitions through the phases of the acquisition life cycle upon satisfaction of applicable criteria at an Acquisition Review Board Meeting convened for that purpose. The official designated as the ADA for a particular acquisition differs depending on the level of the acquisition.
The Under Secretary for Management provides regular direction of the Bureau of Resources Management and the Chief Financial Officer serves as a core member of the under secretary’s senior management team. The Under Secretary for management is the state department’s representative on the President’s Management Council, and is the Department Official responsible for implanting the President’s Management Agenda. The following bureaus and offices report to the Under Secretary for Management Patrick F. Kennedy : Bureau of Administration, Bureau of Consular Affairs, Bureau of Diplomatic Security, Bureau of Human Resources, Bureau of Information Resource Management, Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations, Director of Diplomatic Reception Room, Foreign Service Institute, Office of Management Policy, Rightsizing, and Innovation, Office of Medical Services, and the Office of White House Liaison.

The Under Secretary for Science and Technology develops and delivers technology to the acquisition process and establishes test and evaluation polices and processes for DHS acquisitions, via the directors, operational test and evaluation, and test and evaluation standards division. S&T 's mission is to strengthen America 's security and resiliency by providing knowledge products and innovative technology solutions for the Homeland Security Enterprise. S&T 's partners comprise the Department of Homeland Security 's operational components; first responders; the private sector and other members of the Homeland Security Enterprise. As Under Secretary for S&T, Dr. O 'Toole oversees the Directorate and serves as the science advisor to the Secretary of Homeland Security.

The Assistant Secretary for Policy supports the acquisition management system via the DHS strategic requirements planning process, developing integrated planning guidance each year, and ensuring that acquisitions support the DHS strategic plan. The Office of the Assistant Secretary for Policy provides advice to the Secretary, Deputy Secretary, and Department on matters of policy development, program evaluation, regulations, budget and legislation that will improve the lives of workers, retirees and their families. Integral to this role, OASP leads special initiatives and manages cross- and inter- Department activities to advance the mission of the Department of Labor.

The Chief Financial Officer is expected to play four diverse and challenging roles. The two traditional roles are steward, preserving the assets of the organizations by minimizing risk and getting the books right, and operator, running a tight finance operation that is efficient and effective. He or she establishes finance operational strategies by evaluating trends; establishing critical measurements; determining production, productivity, quality, and customer-service strategies; designing systems; accumulating resources; resolving problems; implementing change. The CFO develops organization prospects by studying economic trends and revenue opportunities; projecting acquisition and expansion prospects; analyzing organization operations; identifying opportunities for improvement, cost reduction, and systems enhancement; accumulating capital to fund expansion. The CFO develops financial strategies by forecasting capital, facilities, and staff requirements; identifying monetary resources; developing action plans. He or she monitors financial performance by measuring and analyzing results; initiating corrective actions; minimizing the impact of variances. They are also responsible for maximizing return on invested funds by identifying investment opportunities; maintaining relationships with the investment community. Another CFO responsibility is reporting the financial status by developing forecasts; reporting results; analyzing variances; developing improvements. The CFO must update job knowledge by remaining aware of new regulations; participating in educational opportunities; reading professional publications; maintaining personal networks; participating in professional organizations. Another important role of the CFO is accomplishing the companies finance and organization mission by completing related results as needed.

The General Counsel is the chief lawyer of a legal department, usually in a corporation or government department. It is concerned with legal review of agency decision, defense of agency decisions in court and administrative tribunals, internal agency legal advice, and regulation of persons practicing before the company. The OGC has approximately ninety employees and consist of three organizations. These organizations are office of the solicitor, office of general law, office of enrollment and discipline. The office of the solicitor represents the intellectual property matters. The office of general law represents the company in matters other than intellectual property. The office of enrollment and discipline oversees registration and regulation of patent attorneys and agents. The OGC is headed by a general counsel, who is responsible for overall management of the division and acts as the under secretary and director’s principle legal advisor in assuring the provision of legal advice and representation of the agency.
With respect to acquisitions, the ARB oversees executable business strategy, resources, management, accountability, and alignment to strategic initiatives. The ARB supports the Acquisition Decision Authority in determining the appropriate direction for an acquisition at key Acquisition Decisions Events. Each ADE, ADA approval is required for an acquisition to proceed to the next phase in the next phase in the acquisition life cycle.

The Acquisition Review Process is the support process followed to prepare for an ARB and to ensure appropriate implementation of the decisions made at the ARB. At the outset of the Acquisition lifecycle, APMD works with department stakeholders, the program manager for the acquisition, and the component organization responsible for oversight of the acquisition to identify the key acquisition decisions to be made and the key preliminary issues to be resolved.

Prior to the ARB, APMD coordinates a review of the acquisition by the Acquisition Review Team, comprised of the action officers for ARB members. The review consists of a briefing to the ART on the programs current status and known subject matter expert issues. The second step of the review is the collection of comments from ARI members and other stakeholders and the assembly of common set of issues to be addressed by the ARB. The third step is a briefing of the ART by APMD to summarize the issues and decisions to be made at the ARB. Following this review, APMD shall prepare an Acquisition Decision Memorandum as the official record of the Acquisition Decision Event, to be signed by the Acquisition Decision Authority. The ADM shall describe the approval or other decisions made at the ARB and any action items to be satisfied as conditions of the decision. Following the approval of the ADM, APMO shall track the action items contained in the ADM and report to the ADA on any failure to satisfy such conditions. Completion of such action items is a prerequisite for advancement to the next phase of the Acquisition lifecycle.

The Joint Facilities Utilization Board is used for validation or approval of construction projects. The JFUB is a joint board that evaluates and reconciles component requests for real estate, use of existing facilities, inter-Service support, and construction to ensure compliance with Joint Civil-Military Engineering Board priorities.
The JFARB cell receives completed packets from MNC-I staff sections, subordinate units or from MNF-I subordinate units. The JFARB cell processes the initial requirement from the unit and forwards to the appropriate staff sections for vote. After all votes are received, the JFARB cell forwards the packet through the JFARB chairmen to the CoS for decision. The JFARB members will provide their recommendation to the JFARB cell which will consolidate the inputs and with the MNC-I C7, or C8 as appropriate, present them to the CoS for final decision. Packages with unfavorable legal opinions may be submitted to the CoS for consideration although every effort to resolve the unfavorable opinion should be met. Packets may be approved, deferred or disapproved. Those that are disapproved can be corrected by the unit and resubmitted for reconsideration. Deferred packages require some additional information or the occurrence of some future event in order to be considered. Approval of a JFARB submission simply means the requirement has been validated, not that funding is available. Once a package is approved it must be funded through the MNC-I budget process by submitting the requirement on the unit’s monthly spend plan

The JFARB process requires board members to review packages within 48 hours and either provides their vote or request additional information, in order to vote. If a JFARB package is considered an emergency that cannot wait for the normal JFARB cycle, MNC-I will conduct an out-of-cycle JFARB. Emergency JFARB packages are defined as those requirements that must be expedited by all parties involved, as their delay would constitute an unacceptable level of risk to the mission or safety of MNC-I personnel. These packets require a letter of justification explaining why the packet is an emergency. Emergency JFARB packets are reviewed and voted on within 24 hours

Chapter Three Choice of Methodologies

The methodology I chose to use for my capstone is qualitative. I thought this was an appropriate method to use since it deals with exploring issues. I will use historical research in this process to evaluate records to develop my logical reasoning on the Joint Acquisition Review Board. The type of data that I will use for my research will mostly consist of secondary data collection.

Qualitative deals with comparability. This is carried out when we wish to understand meanings, look at, describe and understand experience, ideas, beliefs and values. To accomplish this one must focus on natural settings. Focus groups, in-depth interviews, content analysis, ethnography, evaluation and semiotics are among the many approaches that are used, but qualitative research in its most basic form involves the analysis of any unstructured data, including: open-ended survey responses, literature reviews, audio recordings, pictures and web pages. By using the qualitative methodology I will be looking at the big picture of the JARB. The qualitative methodology I think that I will be able to use more depth and rich description. When writing about the JARB I will be looking for the quality when looking at information. For the capstone I will use procedures for data collection. I change some of the data collection strategy by adding, refining, and dropping techniques. With qualitative data I will rely on multiple data collection methods to check on the authenticity of the data results.

I will use phenomenological research to study themes and patterns in narratives exploring changing in data. One will use phenomenological approaches based on a paradigm of personal knowledge and subjectivity, and emphasize the importance of personal perspective and interpretation. As such they are powerful for understanding subjective experience, gaining insights into people’s motivations and actions, and cutting through the clutter of taken-for-granted assumptions and conventional wisdom. Phenomenological methods are particularly effective at bringing to the fore the experiences and perceptions of individuals from their own perspectives, and therefore at challenging structural or normative assumptions. Adding an interpretive dimension to phenomenological research, enabling it to be used as the basis for practical theory, allows it to inform, support or challenge policy and action (Lester).

In this Capstone I will use independent variables and dependent variables. An independent variable is one that is varied or manipulated by the researcher and a dependent variable is a response that is measured. The independent variable is a presumed cause that is controlled. The dependent variable is a presumed effect that is observed. There are several general relationships with variables that can be used with this research. These variables include natural group variables, non manipulated variables, subject variables, and experimental variables.

A type of testing that I will use to test my hypothesis in this capstone is the ANOVA test. To summarize the discussion up to this point, the purpose of analysis of variance is to test differences in means for statistical significance. This is accomplished by analyzing the variance, that is, by partitioning the total variance into the component that is due to true random error and the components that are due to differences between means. These latter variance components are then tested for statistical significance, and, if significant, we reject the null hypothesis of no differences between means and accept the alternative hypothesis that the means, in the population, are different from each other.

In defining a population for a study, such a population must be specific enough to provide readers a clear understanding of the applicability of one’s study to their particular situation and an understanding of that same population. A research population is generally a large collection of individuals or objects that is the main focus of a scientific query. It is for the benefit of the population that researches are done. However, due to the large sizes of populations, researchers often cannot test every individual in the population because it is too expensive and time-consuming. It therefore becomes important to select the proper method of sampling. There are four general methods of populations that can be used when writing a paper. These methods are simple random sampling, stratified sampling, cluster sampling and systematic sampling. When dealing with the qualitative study sampling methods have a few methods that differ. The methods for qualitative include intensity sampling and the criterion sampling. The intensity sampling, depending on the subject under study, would allocate the degree of criteria. Criterion sampling is apparently the alternative name of choice for purposive sampling when it’s applied in a qualitative study. The type of sampling that I have chosen to use for my Capstone is the intensity method. The articles I have referenced on the Capstone are used to justify the sampling method and the sampling frame used in my paper.
A sample is simply a subset of the population. The concept of sample arises from the inability of the researchers to test all the individuals in a given population. The sample must be representative of the population from which it was drawn and it must have good size to warrant statistical analysis. The main function of the sample is to allow the researchers to conduct the study to individuals from the population so that the results of their study can be used to derive conclusions that will apply to the entire population. It is much like a give-and-take process. The population “gives” the sample, and then it “takes” conclusions from the results obtained from the sample.
When selecting an instrument to be used in data collection it is important to include recordings of descriptive information on the data sources. It is important to include descriptive information on the data collection event and the data that was collected on the indicators. The data collection instrument should include data items such as questions, observations, and checklists. These data items should be specific for each of the indicators that were identified. The non intervention instrument gathers comprehensive cost data and other information related to the program 's organization, operations, governance and physical plant. It is not specific to any intervention type. Half of the items focus on facility characteristics, including organizational context, governance and physical attributes.

Depending on the nature of the information to be gathered different instruments are used to conduct the assessment. For the Capstone my research methodology requires gathering relevant data from specified documents and compiling the databases in order to analyze the material and arrive at a more complete understanding of who the JARB is and what they do. When designing an instrument one will need to draft the content of the instrument based on pre-determined information needs. One will also need to pay attention to language. It is important to craft questions carefully. Another step is to optimize the sequence of the questions. Then on will need to make the format easy to follow. Next one will need to check for consistency between instruments. Then one will need to do a pre-test the instrument. Lastly, it is important to revise the instrument. The data collection will consist of surveys, observations, and articles from scholarly sources. A purposeful sample will be identified to use in the data collection. Multiple sources will be used to provide more in depth data collection and different avenues. I plan to discover a longitudinal view of the daily routines, experiences, and discover an idea of their roles and responsibilities as a member of the JARB. Those designing the data collection system should determine in advance how each piece of information collected will be used.

It is useful to keep in mind that the collection, processing, and analysis of information are costly in terms of financial and human resources. Always begin an instrument with easy, non-threatening questions which will build rapport with the respondent. Questions should be grouped by topic and generally within each topic by response type such as; yes/no, agree/disagree, and multiple choices. Place open-ended questions and questions about sensitive topics, such as income, near the end. Some surveys end with an easy to answer question; in an effort to leave participants feeling positive about responding.

The format of a data collection instrument, whether for a one-time survey or for ongoing monitoring, is often as important as the content itself. A poorly laid out instrument will result in errors, and information will be unreliable. It is important to keep the instrument uncluttered and with plenty of white space between questions. Questions should be clearly numbered and ample room provided for answers. Boxes or lines should be used to contain responses. Each form should be clearly labeled at the top with both the name of the form and the level of data collection with a space to indicate the date of data collection. If the instrument is longer than one page, the pages should be stapled together with identification numbers on all pages.

“Ethical assurance is in its infancy with no generally agreed frameworks or business practice. Many companies will want to assess their ethical procedures before exposing them to wider scrutiny. So the demand for internal assurance, presented to the board, audit or corporate responsibility committee is likely to develop ahead of ethical assurance published externally. There are two forms that a publicly reported ethical assurance opinion could take. The first is an assessment that would provide an opinion on whether the controls put in place are appropriately structured to achieve the desired objectives. The second is an opinion on the effectiveness of those controls, where the assurance provider would attest not just to the existence of controls but also that they work in practice. ("Icaew," 2009)”
Statistical methods for data analysis have a long history, and biostatistics has emerged as an own, prospering field of research. Powerful statistical software has been developed that allows for thorough calculations on large datasets that would be impossible to be performed manually. Some of the available methods are complex and difficult to apply, while others can easily and successfully be employed by researchers without a strong statistical background. Luckily, the most common statistical analysis methods in biomedical research belong to the latter category. Don’t let statistical software seduce you to do computations you cannot understand if in doubt keep it simple, since you are responsible for the interpretation of the results. Statistical tests are tools that distinguish between results compatible with chance and those that no longer can be explained by chance. Also, all statistical tests share the same principle they compare the observed results with an expected value, based on your dataset, and come up with a so-called test statistic. This statistic is compared to a tabulated value derived from the underlying distribution. If the statistic is higher than a certain critical or threshold value, the difference between observed and expected results is no longer a matter of chance. All of these different steps of computation and comparison are nowadays made by statistical software. In research practice, it is important to know which tests should be used for which kind of data, and why a particular test may or may not apply to your research question.

Every study, no matter how well it is conducted, has some limitations. It is always possible that future research may cast doubt on the validity of any hypothesis or the conclusions from a study. Limitations of research are access to information, access to resources, time management, access to experts for editing, proofreading, and guidance , and support from organizations and participants. Correlational research also has the same limitations as case studies. Correlational research merely demonstrates that we can predict a variable from another variable. It is demonstrating that two variables are associated. However, two variables can be associated without there being a causal relationship between the variables. We cannot make causal conclusions from correlational findings because we cannot rule out all alternative explanations for correlational findings.
“The delimitations of a study are those characteristics that limit the scope or to define the boundaries of the inquiry as determined by the conscious exclusionary and inclusionary decisions that were made throughout the development of the proposal. Among these are the choice of objectives and questions, variables of interest, alternative theoretical perspectives that could have been adopted, etc. The first limiting step was the choice of problem itself; implicit are other, related problems that could have been chosen but were rejected or screened off from view. Go back and review each of these decisions. You will want to prepare a statement of purpose or intent that clearly sets out what is meant to be accomplished by the study but that also includes a declaration of what the study does not intend to cover. In the latter case, your decisions for excluding certain territory should have been based on such criteria as "not interesting"; "not directly relevant"; too problematic because..."; "not feasible" and the like. Make this reasoning explicit. Once a statement of limitations and delimitations has been prepared, the question about where in the proposal to place it arises. A logical place is near the end of the problem statement section, somewhere after the statement of purpose. Elsewhere in the proposal, the researcher may have repeated a general statement of purpose which presents another opportunity for including the limitations and delimitations of the study. Again, that may have been at the end of the problem statement, preceding a justification for selecting the problem in the first place. Another juncture may have occurred somewhere in the proximity of the section devoted to the conceptual framework or earlier in the procedures section as part of the outlining step suggested elsewhere in this guide.(Cline)”
The purpose of analyzing data is to obtain usable and useful information. The analysis, regardless of whether the data is qualitative or quantitative, may: describe and summarize the data, identify relationships between variables, compare variables, identify the difference between variables, and forecast outcomes. There are many statistical techniques that can be applied to qualitative data, such as ratings scales, that has been generated by a quantitative research approach. Even if a qualitative study uses no quantitative data, there are many ways of analyzing qualitative data.

Chapter Four
Results

The purpose for my capstone study is to find out whom the Joint Acquisition Review Board is and what their role is in contracting. I chose this topic for my capstone because I felt that the information I gained from my study would be beneficial to me when I started my career. From my research I found that the Joint Acquisition review board is not a contracting board but they help make decisions in the contracting field. It is hypothesized in this capstone is that the Joint Acquisition Review Board is used to review and make recommendations for controlling critical common user logistic supplies and services within the joint operational area.

As discovered in my research the JARB plays many roles when it comes to contracting. Some of these roles I discovered are that the JARB focuses on what the requirements priorities and source of support are. They determine what common user logistics support needs to be controlled. They also review requirements and recommend priority of support requests. The JARB recommends acquisition methodology to be used to meet requirements. Joint Acquisition Review Board is used for validation or approval of purchases for supplies, services, and equipment over $200K or LOGCAP expenditures over $50K. It is the JARB’s job to focus on what the requirements priorities and source of support. The JARB ensures that proposed expenditures are valid and necessary for the United States to accomplish its mission and meet standards. They coordinate and control the generation of requirements and the prioritization of supplies and services needed in support of the mission. I discovered in my research that the Joint Acquisition Board’s members are made up from many different organizations. The table below shows a listing of each organization.

The findings from my research implies that During the meetings the board members should be actively involved in determining the validity of a requirement and ensuring its purchase benefits for the operation in the long run. The president must give each board member the opportunity to comment on the contents in the packet and what was discussed during the meeting.

I used many steps in my qualitative study to determine if my hypothesis on the JARB proved to be correct. These steps included memoing, data collecting, document review, diagramming, etc. During completing these steps I found that the JARB must review and approve planned and unplanned procurements before funds are committed. A proposal can be met using a service contract. The proposal should involve changes to infrastructure. It will extend or change the scope of previously approved procurements. The proposal can also involve contract renewals, new leases, lease renewals, construction, repair, and maintenance requirements. There are many steps in preparing the proposal. It takes several people to complete these steps in preparing the proposal. To start the process of preparing a proposal one must use empirical data collection. This will be used to discover the community or companies needs of a product. Once researcher has determined the situations they will need to begin strategy development. This will include brainstorming, researching government projects and private initiatives. Once one presents the strategies to the company they must be reviewed. During this process is where one would ask questions such as: do we have the resources to do it or has this been tried by another business. The next step in preparing the proposal is getting approval from all the members involved. Once approved by the members it will need to be reviewed for funding. Lastly, once the proposal is approved for funding it will need to be submitted.

In this capstone I used the interim analysis to collect and analyze data for my research on the Joint Acquisition Review Board. I used the interim process during the first part of my research to better understand my topic. While preparing my data analysis I also engaged in memoing. While working on my memoing I found that sometimes to get a project approved by the JARB and the Joint Facilities Utilization Board the brigade will be required by the established joint force commander’s policy to develop a performance work statement. A PWS is essentially a detailed set of written standards for everything one wants to contractor to perform or produce. A PWS needs to be very specific.I accomplished this by recording memos when I had ideas and insights and included those memos when I had ideas and insights and included those memos as additional data to be analyzed. The data I transcribed from observational notes, memos, etc. I then typed the data in text into word processing documents. I used these transcriptions later on in my analysis. My memoing served to assist me in making conceptual leaps from raw data to those abstractions that explain research phenomena in the context in which it is examined. “Memos can be effectively employed by both the novice and experienced researcher as a procedural and analytical strategy throughout the research process. Data exploration is enhanced, continuity of conception and contemplation is enabled and communication is facilitated through the use of memoing” (Birks, 2008). While guidelines exist to aid in the production and use of memos, memoing remains a flexible strategy wherein the process of construction and nature of content is determined by the preferences and abilities of the researcher and the aims and focus of the specific research study.

One major question when working a contract is that it is important to figure out if there will be a Joint Acquisition Review Board established. Joint Acquisition Review Board is used for validation or approval of purchases for supplies, services, and equipment over $200K or LOGCAP expenditures over $50K. Previous research has found that the JARB must review and approve planned and unplanned procurements before funds are committed. The JARB president will recommend the approval or disapproval of every project or item the board reviews. Then each member must provide an opinion, recommendation, concurrence or nonoccurrence, or comment, thereby advising the appropriate approving command authority.

After collecting the data on the JARB’s process it is important to code and develop the data. This stage is a major stage of the qualitative data analysis. During the qualitative method one will usually conduct an in depth interview. They will also use many observation methods during their research. These methods include steps such as planned watching, recording, and analysis of data. To accomplish this step one must read their transcribed data, line by line, and divide the data into meaningful analytical units. Then after identifying these segments they will need to be coded. Coding is important because it makes it possible for one to be able to organize their data. When one codes they will mark the segments of data with symbols, descriptive words, or category names. One will continue this process until they have segmented all of their data and completed the initial coding.

Document review is a major step in the data collecting process. In this step one would review all existing documents. These documents might include a hard copy or electronic and may include reports, program logs, performance ratings, funding proposals, meeting minutes, newsletters, and marketing materials. Reviewing these different types of documents in my research helped me get a better understanding of who the JARB is and what their role is in the contracting field. During my document review I also discovered the difference in formal statements of the programs purpose and the programs actual implementation.

During my capstone I used diagramming to clarify the relationships in the JARB. This process was very helpful in distinguishing the different roles of the members. All board members are required to research issues that will be reviewed before the JARB meeting. These roles are for example the role of the General Counsel. A general council is the chief lawyer of a legal department, usually in a corporation or government department. Their role is concerned with legal review of agency decision, defense of agency decisions in court and administrative tribunals, internal agency legal advice, and regulation of persons practicing before the company. When one is diagramming they could use a constructive diagram to describe the context and form of the data used. “All diagrams are independent so one is able to study and improve them one at a time. Diagrams may present requirements for speed and volume in such a way as to suggest how they may be achieved. They can illustrate the likelihood of system failure and its associated repercussions. Finally, a diagram can merge several of these types of issues, concisely depicting their interrelationships” (Sasso). I found using the diagrams in my research to be a very helpful step in breaking down my collected information for each chapter in this capstone. Figure 3: Joint Acquisition Review Board Process

In this capstone I used inductive logic to identify the different categories of the Joint Acquisition Review Board. Inductive logic means narrowing down. After diagramming using the inductive logic helps build the relationship between the data one collects. Here I used knowledge that was derived from experience. This information included documents that the JARB used in completing their processes. Inductive logic follows the pattern of observe, explain, generalise, and conclusion. By using inductive reasoning one is able to identify patterns or make observations that will lead them to their decisions. The qualitative paradigm provides rich context bound information leading to the formation of patterns or theories that help explain phenomenon. These results that I found suggest that with regard to sources, the JARB asks who is best suited to provide the service, applying best value criteria. Following JARB validation and source selection, the contractor submits its plan for filling the order and the customer bears responsibility for approving, rejecting, or seeking to modify it.
The parameter of the variable under investigation is the JARB and its role. Discovering the parameter helps the researcher define what to test and find the variable that will be used in the data collection process. The population of interest is the JARB. The parameter of interest is the review and recommendations. The population mean is a continuous variable so there will be one sample test of a mean. The sample used to collect the data was drawn randomly from the population.

Chapter 5
Discussion

In this section on the capstone I will discuss my findings on the Joint Acquisition Review Board. Certain items require the JARB approval before one can proceed with their acquisition. These items will be identified by the joint force commander. Items that require the JARB’s approval generally include procurements costing over $200,000, force protection items, and other special interest items that must be prioritized for procurement. If the item that one is working with has to go before the JARB one must be prepared to justify their acquisition request to the JARB. The Joint Acquisition Review Board meets weekly to review these documents.

During my study I have discovered many different aspects of the JARB. From my research I was able to break down the joint acquisition review board into its different members and what their roles are. “The JARB is made up of representatives of the service component logistic staffs, special operations forces, component staff, DLA, Defense Contract Management Agency, Joint force engineer, J6, Joint force comptroller, staff judge advocate, and other JFC staff members as directed. (Defense procurement and acquisition policy defense pricing)”

Analysis of JARB members:
The JARB’s members and advisors typically represent wide ranging institutional perspectives and interests. Each member of the JARB has a single voice and the appropriate approving official will make the final decision. The JCC member and DCMA ACO advisor must be present at all JARB meetings. The contractor is called in only to answer specific questions and then is dismissed for the remainder of the meeting. The JARB members should be the primary staff or deputy.

Under Secretary for Management provides regular direction of the Bureau of Resources Management and the Chief Financial Officer serves as a core member of the under secretary’s senior management team. The Under Secretary for management is the state department’s representative on the President’s Management Council, and is the Department Official responsible for implanting the President’s Management Agenda.

“The Under Secretary for Science and Technology develops and delivers technology to the acquisition process and establishes test and evaluation polices and processes for DHS acquisitions, via the directors, operational test and evaluation, and test and evaluation standards division. (Under secretary of management)”

The Assistant Secretary for Policy supports the acquisition management system via the DHS strategic requirements planning process, developing integrated planning guidance each year, and ensuring that acquisitions support the DHS strategic plan. The Office of the Assistant Secretary for Policy provides advice to the Secretary, Deputy Secretary, and Department on matters of policy development, program evaluation, regulations, budget and legislation that will improve the lives of workers, retirees and their families.

The Chief Financial Officer is expected to play four diverse and challenging roles. The two traditional roles are steward, preserving the assets of the organizations by minimizing risk and getting the books right, and operator, running a tight finance operation that is efficient and effective. The CFO develops financial strategies by forecasting capital, facilities, and staff requirements; identifying monetary resources; developing action plans. He or she monitors financial performance by measuring and analyzing results; initiating corrective actions; minimizing the impact of variances. They are also responsible for maximizing return on invested funds by identifying investment opportunities; maintaining relationships with the investment community.

The General Counsel is the chief lawyer of a legal department, usually in a corporation or government department. It is concerned with legal review of agency decision, defense of agency decisions in court and administrative tribunals, internal agency legal advice, and regulation of persons practicing before the company. The OGC is headed by a general counsel, who is responsible for overall management of the division and acts as the under secretary and director’s principle legal advisor in assuring the provision of legal advice and representation of the agency.

The designated JARB president is responsible for establishing and running the JARB. Their schedule would include to schedule meetings, including regular, special, walkthrough, electronic, and emergency meetings. A responsibility would be to determine when the emergency meetings should be conducted. If a special meeting is required the JARB president will set a time, place, and a minimum membership that will be required to attend the special meeting. He or She would be responsible for presiding over all meetings. Another responsibility would be tabling requests for further discussion if a submitted packet is insufficient to make a qualified recommendation. He or She would provide recommendations to the approving authority on the validity of the proposal.

The JARB secretary is a member of the area support team or the task force staff and may be a local national direct or indirect hired employee. The secretary is responsible for being available during normal duty hours for all requiring activities. She is responsible for establishing procedures for coordinating and scheduling appointments at available times and locations. Another responsibility for the secretary is assembling the JARB packets. These packets are considered to be classified as Confidential or Secret. They are prepared by an appointee of the JARB president. The appointee is required to prepare the minutes of the JARB meetings for the packets and distribute them to the proper members. The packets will usually contain a statement of work or a detailed item description. In the packet they will identify a cost and provide a cost benefit analysis. The secretary is to write and maintain the minutes of the JARB meetings. The minuets will include a written record of each board members comment. Her responsibilities also include scheduling and coordinating meetings, providing advance packets to board members and providing assistance to the requiring activities in developing their packets.

The qualifications for a Joint Acquisition Review Board administrator are to advise and coordinate with units on JARB package requirements by answering questions, providing information, and assisting with corrective actions. They must review submittal/package and ensure all required documents. They will then upload completed/approved packages into the JARB portal. They will also oversee the flow of packages from start to finish through the use of the tracking process management tool. They will advise the chief of staff of status of JARB/ JFUB proposals as required, manage JARB / JFUB meetings to include maintaining regular schedules, managing notices to attendees, and recording meeting results. They will review existing policies and procedures for JARB/ JFUB program management and rewrites and other logistical support functions including fuel management, vehicles registration/maintenance, and facilities maintenance support.

Analysis of responsibilities:

My research on the Joint Acquisition Review Board showed a demonstration of the JARB’s responsibilities. The Joint Acquisition Review Board is used to review and make recommendations for controlling critical common user logistic supplies and services within the joint operational area. The JARB is utilized to coordinate and control the requirements generation and prioritization of joint common user logistics supplies and services that are needed in support of the operational mission and is normally chaired by the subordinate JFC. The JARB’s job is to focus on what the requirements priorities and source of support are. The JARB ensures that proposed expenditures are valid and necessary for the United States to accomplish its mission and meet standards. They coordinate and control the generation of requirements and the prioritization of supplies and services needed in support of the mission. They ensure that the standards established by the references are followed and that those inappropriate or unauthorized purchases are not executed. Another purpose for the JARB is to review proposed procurements and claims settlements that support operations in the task force area of responsibility. The requirements are then paired with existing contract capability or translated to contracting packages for components to be prepared and staged. The JARB can be used to validate all non construction requirements. A Joint Facilities Utilization Board is used to review and validate construction requirements.

Analysis of the Acquisition Review Process:

Based on my literature study, I have found that using the Joint Acquisition Review Board is a type of effects based contracting. The role players in this process are the customers. The customer’s hopeful outcome of the process is for the requirement to go before the JARB. The JARB will then find the point of the contract and approve their contract. From then on the contracting officer can then support the customer. Below I have broken down the review process in a more detailed manner.

The Acquisition Review Process is the support process followed to prepare for an ARB and to ensure appropriate implementation of the decisions made at the ARB. At the outset of the Acquisition lifecycle, APMD works with department stakeholders, the program manager for the acquisition, and the component organization responsible for oversight of the acquisition to identify the key acquisition decisions to be made and the key preliminary issues to be resolved.

“Upon submission of the following item the ARB convenes to consider whether to approve the program. Concept of Operations (CONOPS) describing how the Component would use the desired capability in the fulfillment of its operations; an Analysis of Alternatives (AoA) or Alternatives Analysis (AA) identifying alternative solutions and analyzing/comparing the alternatives based on cost, risk, and capability; an Operational Requirements Document (ORD) selecting the best of the various alternative options based on a comparison of capability, cost, and schedule parameters; an Acquisition Plan (AP) that identifies the acquisition strategy by which the selected option will be obtained and supported; a full Life Cycle Cost Estimate (LCCE) for the selected option that, in the case of Level 1 acquisitions, has been validated by the Director, Cost Analysis Division; a preliminary Integrated Logistics Support Plan (ILSP) for the option selected; and an Acquisition Program Baseline (APB) for the option selected. (Duke, 2010)”
Acquisition Decision Authority is the official responsible for ensuring compliance with the directive by reviewing and approving the movement of acquisitions through the phases of the acquisition life cycle upon satisfaction of applicable criteria at an Acquisition Review Board Meeting convened for that purpose. The official designated as the ADA for a particular acquisition differs depending on the level of the acquisition

Chapter 6

Conclusions

The JARB is utilized to coordinate and control the requirements generation and prioritization of joint common user logistics supplies and services that are needed in support of the operational mission and is normally chaired by the subordinate JFC. The JARB’s job is to focus on what the requirements priorities and source of support are.

The JARB ensures that proposed expenditures are valid and necessary for the United States to accomplish its mission and meet standards. They coordinate and control the generation of requirements and the prioritization of supplies and services needed in support of the mission. They ensure that the standards established by the references are followed and that those inappropriate or unauthorized purchases are not executed. Another purpose for the JARB is to review proposed procurements and claims settlements that support operations in the task force area of responsibility. It is hypothesized that the Joint Acquisition Review Board is used to review and make recommendations for controlling critical common user logistic supplies and services within the joint operational area

Characteristics of the research: There was limited research available on the Joint Acquisition Review Board. The hypothesis of the study was to exam information on the Joint Acquisition Review Board to see if the Joint Acquisition Review Board is used to review and make recommendations for controlling critical common user logistic supplies and services within the joint operational area. Research was also conducted to find out the JARB’s process. The methodology I chose to use for my capstone is qualitative. I thought this was an appropriate method to use since it deals with exploring issues. By using the qualitative methodology I will be looking at the big picture of the JARB. Using qualitative methodology I think that I will be able to use more depth and rich description. When writing about the JARB I looked for quality when looking at information. For this Capstone my research methodology required gathering relevant data from specified documents and compiling the databases in order to analyze the material and arrive at a more complete understanding of whom the JARB is and what they do. The survey instrument I administered on the Joint Acquisition Review Board did not generate as in depth information as I was hoping for in my study. There was, however, enough information to get a basic overview. By using a narrative analysis in my study I was able to interpret events and develop a better understanding of each role played by the Joint Acquisition Review Board.

For the capstone I used procedures for data collection. I changed some of the data collection strategies by adding, refining, and dropping techniques. With the qualitative data I collected I relied on multiple data collection methods to check on the authenticity of the data results. This Capstone used independent variables and dependent variables. An independent variable is one that is varied or manipulated by the researcher and a dependent variable is a response that is measured. These variables include natural group variables, non manipulated variables, subject variables, and experimental variables.

Conclusions from Research:

The research conducted in this capstone resulted in defining who the Joint Acquisition Review Board is and what their role is in the process of writing a contract. The JARB is not contracting board. The JARB focuses on what the requirements priorities and source of support are. They determine what common user logistics support needs to be controlled. They also review requirements and recommend priority of support requests. The JARB recommends acquisition methodology to be used to meet requirements. Joint Acquisition Review Board is used for validation or approval of purchases for supplies, services, and equipment over $200K or LOGCAP expenditures over $50K.

Members that make up the Joint Acquisition Review Board:
The JARB’s members and advisors typically represent wide ranging institutional perspectives and interests. Each member of the JARB has a single voice and the appropriate approving official will make the final decision. The JCC member and DCMA ACO advisor must be present at all JARB meetings. The contractor is called in only to answer specific questions and then is dismissed for the remainder of the meeting. The JARB members should be the primary staff or deputy.

“The JARB is made up of representatives of the service component logistic staffs, special operations forces, component staff, DLA, Defense Contract Management Agency, Joint force engineer, J6, Joint force comptroller, staff judge advocate, and other JFC staff members as directed. These representatives all serve different roles in the Joint Acquisition Review Board process. (Defense procurement and acquisition policy defense pricing)”

DLA is known as the Defense Logistics Agency. “They are the department of defenses largest logistics combat support agency, providing worldwide logistics support in both peacetime and wartime to the military services as well as several civilian agencies and foreign countries. The Agency sources and provides nearly 100 percent of the consumable items America’s Military forces need to operate, from food, fuel and energy, to uniforms, medical supplies, and construction and barrier equipment. They employ nearly 27,000 civilian and military employees and operate in forty eight states and twenty eight countries. (Waller, 2011)”

The J6 is also known as the Joint staff, command and control. The J6 ensures delivery of decision quality information by managing systems, people and processes to enhance transatlantic security and defend the homeland. “The staff operates theater campaign plans which enable EUCOM components to perform their missions, engage with partners, and provide comprehensive communication and information interoperability as part of a whole of government approach. J6 strives to satisfy mission support, net-centric, information sharing and knowledge management requirements as it enables EUCOM priorities. ("United states European,”)”

Defense Contract Management Agency is a Department of Defense component that works directly with defense suppliers to help ensure that DOD, Federal and allied government supplies and services are delivered on time, at projected cost, and meet all performance requirements. “The DCMA professionals serve as information brokers and implant representatives for military, Federal, and allied government buying agencies, both during the initial stages of the acquisition cycle and throughout the life of the resulting contracts. Before the contract award the DCMA provides advice and services to help construct effective solicitations, identify potential risks, select the most capable contractors, and write contracts that meet the needs of their customers in DOD, Federal and allied government agencies (DCMA 2012).”

Staff Judge Advocate is a judge advocate with fiscal law expertise designated as the JARB legal advisor after consultation and coordination with the Judge Advocate. The designated legal advisor will review all requirements that are recommended for approval by the JARB for legal sufficiency. He or She is responsible for providing legal services for the Commander, Joint Forces Headquarters, Joint Force Headquarters staff, and to plan and coordinate legal services.

Special Operations Forces are those active and reserve component forces of the military services designed by the secretary of defense and specifically organized, trained, and equipped to conduct and support special operations. Each member is highly trained in general combat and small unit tactics.

Joint Acquisition Review Board Process:

The process requires board members to review packages within 48 hours and either provides their vote or request additional information, in order to vote. The JARB asks who is best suited to provide the service, applying best value criteria. Following JARB validation and source selection, the contractor submits its plan for filling the order and the customer bears responsibility for approving, rejecting, or seeking to modify it.

During the JARB process to evaluate the necessity of the proposed requirement, the availability of funds, the cost and quality of service, and the context of the requirement, members of the board should ask questions such as what is the funding source for the requirement. Another question that the members must answer is was this item in the budget and how has the company gotten along without it for so long. They should also be able to ask why this is a valid requirement for the company, why will cheaper versions not suit the need and is the vendor or contractor you recommended the best source/only source that the company looked at. Other questions include is this part of a larger project, and will other purchases need to be made to produce a complete useable facility or to produce a complete and functional system.

The Acquisition Review Process is the support process followed to prepare for an ARB and to ensure appropriate implementation of the decisions made at the ARB. At the outset of the Acquisition lifecycle, APMD works with department stakeholders, the program manager for the acquisition, and the component organization responsible for oversight of the acquisition to identify the key acquisition decisions to be made and the key preliminary issues to be resolved.

Prior to the ARB, APMD coordinates a review of the acquisition by the Acquisition Review Team, comprised of the action officers for ARB members. The review consists of a briefing to the ART on the programs current status and known subject matter expert issues. The second step of the review is the collection of comments from ARI members and other stakeholders and the assembly of common set of issues to be addressed by the ARB. The third step is a briefing of the ART by APMD to summarize the issues and decisions to be made at the ARB. Following this review, APMD shall prepare an Acquisition Decision Memorandum as the official record of the Acquisition Decision Event, to be signed by the Acquisition Decision Authority. The ADM shall describe the approval or other decisions made at the ARB and any action items to be satisfied as conditions of the decision. Following the approval of the ADM, APMO shall track the action items contained in the ADM and report to the ADA on any failure to satisfy such conditions. Completion of such action items is a prerequisite for advancement to the next phase of the Acquisition lifecycle.

“All requirements packages need some form of justification letter and/or memorandum. These justification documents are directed by regulation, policy or the nature of the requirement. Two common examples include the JARB Letter of Justification and the Request for Contract Service Approval. Normally these justifications include instructions on format and content. Content of the justification may include but is not limited to:
• Rationale for the requirement.
• Operational need.
• Impacts if not funded.
• Results of market research.
• Why the requirement is needed.
• What other sources were examined to fulfill the requirement.
• Why contracting is the best solution to meet the requirement and address any special concerns e.g., force protection. (OPERATIONAL CONTRACT SUPPORT TACTICS,
TECHNIQUES, AND PROCEDURES 2011)”

Chapter 7

Recommendations

As explained in earlier chapters the purpose of this capstone is to discover who the Joint Acquisition board is and what their roles are. The Joint Acquisition Review Board focuses on what the requirements priorities and source of support are. They determine what common user logistics support needs to be controlled. They also review requirements and recommend priority of support requests. The Joint Acquisition Review Board recommends acquisition methodology to be used to meet requirements. The JARB asks who is best suited to provide the service, applying best value criteria. Following JARB validation and source selection, the contractor submits its plan for filling the order and the customer bears responsibility for approving, rejecting, or seeking to modify it. As I discussed earlier the JARB has many roles when it comes to working with contracts even though they are not a contracting board. Many common and/or low cost commodity and services will not be required to go through a formal ARB/JARB approval process. It’s solely based on simplified acquisition threshold or set dollar amount.

The JARB ensures that proposed expenditures are valid and necessary for the United States to accomplish its mission and meet standards. They coordinate and control the generation of requirements and the prioritization of supplies and services needed in support of the mission. They ensure that the standards established by the references are followed and that those inappropriate or unauthorized purchases are not executed.
Another purpose for the JARB is to review proposed procurements and claims settlements that support operations in the task force area of responsibility.

The JARB and AFEB may serve integrative functions face to face with the contractor, but they are not necessarily cohesion promoting institutions. They do not encourage a two way flow of information of ideas in planning or executing operations, except in so far as the AFEB allows or requires the contractor to contribute to its meetings. The JARB and AFEB have more narrowly focused roles in the acquisition and evaluation processes, respectively. Nevertheless, merely bringing many participants together in one place at one time, even if they are primarily U.S. Government participants, can facilitate broader coordination. The JARB’s source selection process may mitigate some cost and quality related performance risks by posting the option of alternative suppliers. To the extent that the threat of the Army’s choosing an alternative supplier by it organic, host nation, or contact is credible, the selection process may induce competition among suppliers and improve their performance. In major operations, there may be a requirement for some designated supplies and service requests to be processed thorough an ARB or JARB for approval and prioritization. The items likely to be controlled via an ARB or JARB process include high dollar items, protection or safety supplies, signal supplies, services, and so forth.

This paper presents the steps that the Joint Acquisition Review Board has to take when preparing for an upcoming meeting. This capstone looks at the qualifications of becoming a member of the JARB. It reviews the different roles played by each member in the Joint Acquisition Review Board and looks at the basic overview of the roles of the JARB. In this chapter I will look at recommendations for future research on this topic and also look at recommendations on the research used in this capstone.

“Acquisition review boards (ARBs) are used to control critical common user logistic supplies and services within the operational area and to recommend the proper sources of support for approved support requirements. ARBs can be formed by a variety of commands. For example, a joint force command level ARB is called a JARB and a coalition force ARB is called a CARB. (OPERATIONAL CONTRACT SUPPORT TACTICS, TECHNIQUES AND PROCEDURES 2011)”

Recommendations for future research: Further research is needed on the Joint Acquisition Review Board to be able to obtain enough information to fully grasp the full concept of the Joint Acquisition Review Board. The information on the Joint Acquisition Review Board I was able to collect was repetitive on most parts. Due to the lack of information found I feel like there are many areas of this subject that still needs to be tended to. I feel that further research that focuses on each role conducted by the Joint Acquisition Review Board would be sufficient to instill a full understanding of the JARB.

I believe that this study should be replicated by future researchers so that they can grasp the full concept of this board. By expanding the number of researchers on the topic I believe that one may be able to discover more information leading to a more in depth study of the Joint Acquisition Review Board. On future research one may want to focus on a certain section of the JARB such as a JARB that is working on a contract for the troops in Afghanistan. This study was more of a broad overview of the board and its roles. This study also looks at when a Joint Acquisition Review Board may be needed in a contract. For the future researcher a more complex study would help unfold a more in depth explorations of the Joint Acquisition Review Board’s process. These points will give the future researcher an idea of where to look for information on this subject and where to go with the future research. To accomplish a more in depth research on may have to develop new cases. This would benefit the study but may take some time to develop. Another recommendation for future research would be to enhance analytical skills and the research. By doing this, one will be able to advance their knowledge on the Joint Acquisition Review Board. A potential benefit of further research would be that it would add more supporting details to the capstone. The addition of technical support would be a beneficial addition for this study.
For future research one may want to look at adding more logistical information on the Joint Acquisition Review Board. This would be a good topic to look at for supporting data. By investigating the JARB further one will have a better way to determine the strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities in a more comprehensive form.

The Joint Acquisition Board has the ability to approve or deny any contract that is over a certain bracketed amount. This enhances the contractor to discover what the main weaknesses are when sending their customers proposal to be approved. This is an example of one of the cases a future researcher could focus on when proceeding with a more detailed study. Evaluation of system focus on the Joint Acquisition Review Board would be another case that once could look at reviewing on future research. These system focuses would include relationships among the different organizations, the structure of these organizations, and different communication networks used. Another system focus to look at is the Joint Acquisition Review Boards policies and regulations. Reviewing the JARB’s penalties is also an important system focus to research.

After reviewing theses system focuses the researcher should develop an intervention for each and then develop an intervention strategy for each of these. By combining the different viewpoints the researcher will be able to acquire a across the board view on the JARB. Ultimately, the use of many different cases is recommended to distinguish the many different aspects of the Joint Acquisition Review Board.

Topics of research: The research conducted in this study was to discover a main overview of who the Joint Acquisition Review Board is. During this research I was able to break down the JARB into the different members that make up the board. From there I went on to study the different roles of each of these members. These members include representatives of the service component logistic staffs, special operations forces, component staff, DLA, Defense Contract Management Agency, Joint force engineer, J6, Joint force comptroller, staff judge advocate. The JARB’s members and advisors typically represent wide ranging institutional perspectives and interests. Further detail research on each of these members would help the researcher find out what effect each of these members has on the government contractor’s role.

By exploring the different roles of the Joint Acquisition Review Board I was able to obtain a broad overview of the full JARB process. Further research may desire to review these roles more in depth to obtain a deeper understanding of what goes into conducting each of these particular roles. By increasing the research one will be able to have a full understanding of the many roles that can take place to get a single contract approved. Future research should explore different avenues of information to use to on this subject. The future researcher may want to change the scope of the research to get a full understanding of the subject. The researcher may choose a large or small scope for their future research depending on the different materials available on the view they choose to go with.

Recommendations from research: I utilized many government websites to obtain my data on the Joint Acquisition Review Board for my study. This was a beneficial way to collect my information. The government websites were where I found the majority of my information. Another way to collect information other than the government websites is through pdf files that have been used in previous contracts. I was able to use these pdf files to review the task performed by the Joint Acquisition Review Board. By reviewing the tasks I was able to collect enough information to piece together the Joint Acquisition Review Boards process.

During the JARB process to evaluate the necessity of the proposed requirement, the availability of funds, the cost and quality of service, and the context of the requirement, members of the board should ask questions such as what is the funding source for the requirement. Another question that the members must answer is was this item in the budget and how has the company gotten along without it for so long. They should also be able to ask why this is a valid requirement for the company, why would cheaper versions not suit the need and is the vendor or contractor you recommended the best source/only source that the company looked at. Other questions include is this part of a larger project, and will other purchases need to be made to produce a complete useable facility or to produce a complete and functional system.

Many studies that I found focus solely on the basic overview of the Joint Acquisition Review Board. A study with contextual information is required to complete this capstone efficiently. There is little detailed information available on the JARB. A better understanding of this board is essential in order to be fully informed on this subject. After conducting my study I feel that I have developed a better understanding of the Joint Acquisition Review Board and its role in the contracting field.

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Appendices
Image A: Members of the Joint Acquisition Review Board
Image B: Acquisition Review Board Process http://www.acq.osd.mil/dpap/ccap/cc/jcchb/html/chap_3.html
Image C: Acquisition Review Board Process http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/policy/army/fm/100-10-2/ch1.htm]
Image D: Joint Acquisition Review Board’s Roles