Procurement: Selected Acquisition Report: Suggested Approaches for Improvement

Since 1969, Selected Acquisition Reports (SARS) have been the primary means by which the Department of Defense (DOD) reports the status of major weapon system acquisitions to the Congress. The SAR is a comprehensive report that contains information on the cost, schedule, and performance of major weapon systems in comparison with baseline values established at the demonstration/validation, full-scale development, and production decision points. For some time, the Congress and its oversight committees have been concerned about the accuracy, timeliness, completeness, and usefulness of SAR information. One important concern relates to whether SARS could be more informative about anticipated changes to approved programs. The SARS are largely historical documents based on the officially approved program. Thus, they do not reflect anticipated, but not yet officially approved cost estimate changes, or show quantity changes under consideration.