The Air Force has issued a new Air Force Pamphlet (AFPAM) 63-123 entitled “Product Support Business Case Analysis.” It “complements Air Force Instruction (AFI) 63-101/20-101 Integrated Life Cycle Management. It provides informational guidance and recommended procedures for executing a Product Support Business Case Analysis (PS-BCA). Additional non-mandatory guidance on best practices, lessons learned, and expectations are available in the Department of Defense Product Support BCA Guidebook.”

This pamphlet “is designed to assist the PS-BCA Team in developing comprehensive Product Support (PS) strategies that achieve the optimal balance between warfighter capabilities and affordability (i.e., best-value). The pamphlet covers key areas that the PS-BCA Team needs to consider when developing an effective PS-BCA. The pamphlet provides a standardized format, assists in developing and evaluating courses of action (COAs), recommends useful decision support methodologies that enhance defendable decision making processes, and provides guidance on developing the PS-BCA report. Additionally, the pamphlet provides examples and best practices, identifies existing laws, integrates Department of Defense (DoD) guidance located in the DoD Product Support BCA Guidebook (April 2011), and supplements existing Air Force (AF) Manuals (AFMANs) such as AFMAN 65-510, Business Case Analysis Procedures (October 2010). The focus of the pamphlet is on Major Defense Acquisition Programs (MDAPs), however, the techniques provided can also be applied to non-MDAPs and Major Automated Information Systems (MAISs) that require PS-BCAs.”