https://www.dau.edu
the CSO Cross Talks feedback, the other findings discussed in this article capture that, at this point and overall, CSOs have many more strengths than weaknesses. In total, we made 66 individual observations of strengths, weaknesses, and best practices. Within those observations, the research team identified 27 strengths, seven weaknesses, and 43 best practices in the documented findings of the CSO data. Although the total adds up to 77, some of these observations were assigned to multiple categories or were defined as both a best practice and a strength or a weakness; therefore, the total observations of 66 account for responses, while the 77 observations account for the researchers’ total categorization. These findings were also categorized across 10 categories according to their central theme(s), with some findings falling into multiple categories. The total quantities of strengths and weaknesses by category are provided in Table 5. The protest findings, especially, are a very telling representation of the significant advantage that CSOs may have over FAR-based solicitation techniques in that so few protests have been filed, and none have been sustained that were filed on the basis of the CSO process itself. Additionally, the process flexibility and limited scope of litigation that come from judicial deference are strengths that merit prudent planning and potential opportunities that contracting activities can embrace in their own solicitation planning process.
TABLE 5. QUANTITY OF STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES BY CATEGORY Category
Strengths Weaknesses
Training and Information Sharing
1
1
Internal Agency Processes
2
4
Solicitation Definition
2
0
Industry Interaction
1
0
Expanded Solution Horizons
4
0
Industry Participation and Competition
3
0
Cost/Price/Budgeting Schedule and Planning
1
1
1
1
Process Flexibility
7
0
Scope of Litigation
5
0
Given the research we conducted, it is believed that the CSO process should be embraced by agencies seeking to expand their technological horizons and capabilities. The strengths identified by the researchers greatly outweigh the weaknesses. Using the best practices and observations the researchers noted, agencies can equip themselves with
15
Defense ARJ , Spring 2025, Vol. 32 No. 1
Made with FlippingBook - Online Brochure Maker