Maintenance and Control of the TDP

Competitive Reprocurement

TDP Modification/Revision Determination

Digital System/Environment

System/Environment Compatibility

Maintenance and Control of the TDP

The project manager must consider whether the NATO/NATO nations plans to maintain and control the TDP internally. This deals with the underlying issues of who will maintain and control the TDP once it has been delivered to the NATO/NATO nations and how will they do it. It is assumed that the TDP will be developed in a digital environment, i.e. in a CAD/CAE environment. The key point to remember is that if the NATO/NATO nations plans to maintain, update, and/or produce various configurations of the TDP in the future, the TDP should be delivered in an "intelligent" format, i.e. in processable data files including CAD/CAE files versus document image files such as raster format. Conversely, if the NATO/NATO nations does not plan to "update or maintain" the TDP, it is recommended that the project manager consider a raster-format-only delivery. Delivery of a TDP in raster format does not eliminate on-line or electronic type review via the comment/annotate option during the TDP development cycle.

Competitive Reprocurement

The project manager must consider whether competitive reprocurement of the system, spares, and follow-on support is planned. This prompts the project manager to consider future requirements for the TDP. Competitive procurements, as addressed in the Acquisition Plan, can be significantly enhanced with the availability of "intelligent" digital information such as Government Furnished Information (GFI) to the prospective bidders. If future acquisitions are not anticipated, cost associated with delivery of the TDP in a processable data file format may be unwarranted. If competitive reprocurement is planned, delivery of an "intelligent" format such as processable data files is recommended. If competitive reprocurement is not planned, delivery of an "intelligent" data format may not be cost effective, and a raster format is recommended.

TDP Modification/Revision Determination

Next the project manager should consider whether the NATO/NATO nations anticipates revising and/or modifying a significant portion of the TDP in the future. This applies only to the nondigital portion of the TDP. This prompts the project manager to determine whether the nondigital portion of the TDP would serve the defence system programme better in a digital format. If future manipulation of the data is not anticipated, raster delivery is the most suitable option. If the NATO/NATO nations does plan to revise and/or modify the TDP, additional digital data considerations must be addressed.

Digital System/Environment

The project manager should now determine whether the contractor's native digital environment/system is known at this time. This is focused at determining the most economical and efficient format for the various TDP components. (It is assumed that the NATO/NATO nations has previously completed a NCoO and identified the applicable NATO/NATO nations in place infrastructure.) Obviously, for competitive procurements prior to source selection, the contractor's digital environment will not be known. This is, of course, unless all prospective contractors have identical digital environment/systems. If the contractor's digital environment is not known, consider the delivery of 2-D and 3-D CAD/CAE data files versus the delivery of a more comprehensive set of product description data files.

System/Environment Compatibility

Next the project manager must determine whether the contractor's and the NATO/NATO nations's digital environments/systems are compatible. This focuses on the potential of transferring processable data files directly between two similar systems versus the transfer of data through a neutral data format. Since the transfer of data between similar systems is typically less time consuming and is more accurate, this type of transfer is recommended. However, where the two systems are not similar, the transfer of data via a neutral format is recommended and/or quite necessary. If the digital environments are compatible, it is recommended that the transfer of data between the contractor and the NATO/NATO nations be in the contractor's native format. If the digital environments are not compatible, it is recommended that a neutral format, be used to transfer data between the contractor and the NATO/NATO nations.