Customer Engagements > Acquisition
SEI acquisition services provide support for the acquisition of systems that meet cost, schedule, and technical objectives. This includes strategic planning assistance and assessments, reviews, and evaluations.
Direct support for software and systems engineering activities
The SEI works directly with program managers and their staffs to help them achieve their objectives. Teams of SEI technical experts work in acquisition environments in the Army, Navy, and Air Force, as well as with other DoD and civil agencies, applying SEI products and services. The SEI supports a wide range of activities that include identifying and mitigating risk, benchmarking and improving acquisition processes, implementing software and systems engineering best practices, and more.
Strategic Planning
A well-founded information technology (IT) strategic plan communicates the mission, vision, objectives, values, and critical success factors for the organizations enterprise architecture and future products and services. The SEI helps organizations define and articulate and effective IT strategy from a system perspective. SEI experts also consider the mechanisms for governance and focus on aligning the IT strategy with organizational business objectives.
Acquisition Strategy Planning Workshop
Developing and acquisition strategy is a crucial component of acquisition planning. Acquisition-improvement experts from the SEI help workshop attendees gain a deeper understanding of a program's software-acquisition characteristics and the drivers that effect its strategic choices. In addition, participants learn how to use the acquisition strategy development tool to either formulate acquisition strategies for a new program or evaluate the appropriateness of strategies that a program is already executing.
Reviews, assessments, and evaluations
The SEI helps customers baseline their current state of practice and supports their efforts to integrate the lessons learned. A sample of these services include:
Independent Technical Assessment
Independent Technical Assessments (ITAs) uncover the root causes of problem effecting DoD software-intensive programs, providing recommendations that maximize a programs strengths and minimize and mitigate its risks. They are typically initiated by a system program director, program executive officer, or other acquisition official. ITA teams are composed of SEI staff members and visiting scientists with a mix of expertise who conduct a series of interview with program stakeholders and ultimately deliver a briefing and recommendations.
Software Risk Evaluations
A software risk evaluation provides program managers with a mechanism to anticipate and address program risks. This evaluation is used to identify and categorize specific program risks emanating from product, process, management, resources, and constrains. The program’s staff members participate in the identification, analysis, and mitigation of risks facing their development effort.
Request for Proposal (RFP) Preparation and Reviews
The language used in a formal request for proposal (RFP) makes a critical difference in the quality of proposals received and ultimately the success of an acquisition program. The SEI is adept at developing RFP language, including sample language for a variety of specific causes relevant to software-intensive acquisition.
For more information
See Acquisition Support Program for more information, or contact us to find out how the SEI can help with your specific situation:
Industry Customer Representative
Jay Douglass
jcd@sei.cmu.edu
412-268-6834
Government Customer Representative
Terry Dailey
etd@sei.cmu.edu
703-908-8213