Courtesy article provided by Ms. Lisa P. Smith, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Product Support, (DASD PS), and Mr. Shawn Harrison, DAU Product Support Integration Learning Director, with support from the OSD Product Support Policy Team and DAU Partners

Product Support policy has a new home! DoD Instruction 5000.91, “Product Support Management for the Adaptive Acquisition Framework” (AAF) was published November 4, 2021, as a functionally aligned instruction that complements the six AAF pathway instructions. DoDI 5000.91 canceled and replaced Appendix 3D of DoDI 5000.85, which was the interim repository for Product Support policy and guidance formerly in DoDI 5000.02 Enclosure 6. The instruction implements three tenets: (1) emphasize sustainment; (2) make data-driven decisions; and (3) tailor product support.

The new DoDI provides policy and procedures for performance-based life cycle product support; Product Support Manager (PSM) assignment and responsibilities; Life Cycle Sustainment Plans (LCSP); Product Support Analysis and Product Support Business Case Analyses (PSBCAs); Independent Logistics Assessments (ILAs) and Sustainment Reviews (SRs); Sustainment Metrics; Intellectual Property, Cybersecurity, other considerations; and AAF pathway-specific product support guidance. The instruction also establishes the 12 integrated product support elements in policy for the first time and promotes the same critical thinking, attributes, and tenets used previously in referencing PBL strategies and solutions.

Maintenance Planning and Management, one of the 12 Integrated Product Support Elements in a weapon system’s product support strategy, includes both field and depot-level maintenance. This photo shows a depot artisan welding an extended range cannon artillery turret at Letterkenny Army Depot (Photo by Dorie Heyer)

The new issuance states the Program Manager (PM) is the single point of accountability for DoD systems support and total life cycle systems management; however, the PSM is responsible to the PM for life cycle product support, including development of a performance-based life cycle product support strategy. PSMs will be assigned for all “covered” systems (ACAT I Major Defense Acquisition Programs), ACAT II programs (major systems), all Middle Tier of Acquisition (MTA) programs, and encouraged for all other programs. The PSM has statutory (10 USC 2337) and regulatory responsibilities as set forth in the instruction, including specific emphasis on collaboration with the Chief Engineer and systems engineers to provide sufficient program supportability and cost data and analysis to enable effective operation, management, and tracking of reliability, availability, maintainability, and operating and support costs.

The new DoDI 5000.91 follows the PL 116-283 update to 10 USC 2337 and uses the term “LCSP” as the primary document governing operations and support planning and execution from program inception to disposal. The LCSP includes a section on the Product Support Strategy (PSS), which is the overarching strategy to meet sustainment requirements, in addition to other statutory and required regulatory minimum content for covered systems and tailored LCSPs for non-covered systems.

The instruction also emphasizes the requirement to develop and implement an effective performance-based life cycle product support strategy (synonymous with performance-based logistics (PBL) strategy) to deliver affordable readiness to the Warfighter. It clarifies that PBL contracts are appropriate when analysis indicates they can effectively reduce cost and improve performance and that performance-based arrangements include the best mix of public and private sector capabilities.

As a follow-on activity to publishing the new DoDI, the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Product Support will develop and publish a new DoD guidebook to replace Chapter 4 of the Defense Acquisition Guidebook. The other product support guidebooks and the DoD LCSP Outline will be updated to reflect the new policy.

Stay tuned for detailed DoDI 5000.91 Rapid Deployment Training and watch for an upcoming AAF series webcast featuring the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Product Support and other partners emphasizing the importance of Product Support and addressing your questions about the new instruction! It is critical to comply with the new DoDI 5000.91 as we work together to deliver effective and affordable Life Cycle Product Support Solutions to our Warfighters!

Additional Resources:

Product Support - The Key to Warfighter Readiness by Lisa P. Smith, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Product Support