2008 RAND Design for Affordability

This is a 2008 Strategy (previously Booz Allen/PWC) study on Designing for Affordability.

Executive Summary:

Program managers and defense manufacturers frequently are caught between opposing imperatives: deliver increasingly capable and complex systems while simultaneously reducing costs. In an era of

uncertain defense budgets and a shrinking procurement base, the traditional approach of squeezing savings through incremental cost reduction initiatives no longer supports the targets required by Department of Defense (DoD) programs. In response, a few innovative programs have initiated a step-change in performance, delivering more effective systems at a dramatically lower cost to the customer.

Manufacturers have taken a “total cost” perspective by systematically evaluating all cost drivers, starting with the actual platform design.

The report include comparative data for submarines vs other DoD programs.