Enhancing Performance Based Logistics Programs to Improve Fleet Readiness

In 1999, the phrase "Performance Based Logistics" or "PBL" became one of the predominant buzz phrases within the Department of Defense. From an acquisition policy perspective, the DoD mandated that all new programs should integrate PBL-type of support concepts. DoD believed that PBL programs would improve performance by reducing Cost to the fleet, managing Obsolescence, improving Reliability and Availability. As a result, the acronym formed by these objectives, CORA, formed the basis for justifying PBL contracting efforts. Given its nascent nature at the time, DoD's objective of meeting all four CORA elements within a year or two seemed ambitious, if not entirely realistic. Industry's collective experience with PBLs has demonstrated that just as with most other acquisition reform efforts, improvements in the acquisition process are developed, realized, and measured over much longer timeframes, and then only with dedicated management and focused resources. This paper will identify how far PBLs have come to meeting the CORA objectives and where they can continue to go to enhance fleet readiness.