Assessment of the U.S. Army Natick Research, Development, and Engineering Center (1997)

This appendix contains the texts of the statement of task in the prospectus and the specific requirements in the statement of work in the contract. This lengthy material was a major source of the abbreviated statement of task that the committee synthesized in Chapter 1.

Prospectus

9/12/95

The NSC [Natick Standing Committee] will conduct a thorough assessment of the RDEC. The NSC will identify those scientific and engineering R&D programs it perceives as critical, identify those research areas which should be conducted in-house, and identify alternative programs whereby the Technical Director can leverage limited scientific and engineering resources with academic and industrial partners and other Federal laboratories. The NSC will examine the RDEC's basic research/core technology programs in order to evaluate the adequacy of basic research funding, and make recommendations on which technology programs should be retained, eliminated, or transferred to other Army laboratories. To accomplish these objectives, the NSC plans the following reporting activities.

Phase I: Report on ''World-Class'' Characteristics. The NSC will carry out the investigations necessary to prepare a report on the characteristics of a "world-class" research and development organization. The resulting report will:

• define "world-class" research and development, identify the major components that comprise "world-class" research and development, and
• identify the measurable qualitative and quantitative characteristics (metrics) that apply to or are appropriate for an Army RDEC to identify itself as a "world-class" research and development center.

The metrics derived from the committee's definition will be used as the benchmark by which the business areas and core technologies will be evaluated (see below).

Phase II: Report on Business Areas. The NSC will review and asses the Natick RDEC's corporate strategy and business plans, scientific and engineering Directorates, and materiel and technology integration offices, and then provide technical and programmatic assessments and recommendations to the RDEC

Technical Director that will enable the RDEC to achieve or maintain the status of a center conducting "world-class" research and development. The NSC will:

• assess the RDEC's organization, structure and adequacy of personnel, funding, equipment, and facilities to develop and produce military products,
• review the basic research programs (core technologies) that support each business area to insure that the technology base will support the applied research and development projects assigned to the center and to assess Natick's success in retaining critical expertise during the RDEC's restructuring so that it can continue to conduct these basic research programs, and
• assess customer satisfaction with the products developed and the commercial marketability of dual-use products.

Contract DAAK60-95-C-2069 between the U.S. Army Soldier Systems Command, Acquisition Directorate, and the National Academy of Sciences (NAS)

C-3. SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS:

C-3.1. The contractor (NAS) shall examine each of the five Natick business areas in terms of organization, resources, and re-engineering opportunities; research and technology; and product quality and customer satisfaction. Examples of these topics follow:

1. Organization, Resources, and Re-Engineering Opportunities. Does Natick have adequate funding and personnel (technical specialties and critical mass) to conduct World-Class research and development for military products and systems? How effective is the current organizational structure, and what new organizational approaches (e.g., elements of the Federated Lab Concept) might be beneficial to Natick? How has the establishment of SSCOM [Soldier Systems Command] affected Natick?
2. Research and Technology. Are the core and supporting technologies and methodologies appropriate/adequate? Should all current technologies be continued and should any new ones be adopted? Are appropriate models and simulation used for the technologies and business areas?
3. Product Quality and Customer Satisfaction. How well do business areas support appropriate Battle Labs? Do products/systems meet customers' materiel requirements? Where appropriate, are the research and development and products/systems World-Class? Are Natick's products/systems marketable outside the Army? Outside DoD?