| Weapon system procurement problems have been well publicized. Over the last few decades increased economic and program management attention to the evolving complexity and sophistication of the weapon system acquisition process has intensified the extent, number, and complexity of the economic research required in support of the acquisition process. In this decade both government and private efforts have been made to examine the way the government determines the need for Defense weapon systems, and how to incorporate competition in the way it procures them. Competition is said to lower costs, improve quality and assure adherence to the delivery schedule.;Both the benefits and costs of utilizing competition are likely to vary systematically with a number of variables as a result, the expected payoff from utilizing competition may be both predictable and quantifiable, at least in approximate terms.;It is the objective of this dissertation to identify and examine the benefits and costs of using competition in the procurement phase of the weapon system acquisition process, to assess the impact of competition on the cost-quantity relationship in the selected case studies, and to offer recommendations that will foster an economic climate conducive for introducing competition in the weapon system acquisition process. |
