Essay - Cots Procurement: Key Issues Introduction Commercial Off the Shelf Procurement...

COTS Procurement: Key Issues

Introduction

Commercial off the shelf procurement or COTS ***** involves ***** use of ready-made systems or solutions that are easily obtained and incorporated into existing systems or solution (El*****, 1998). ***** is most often associated with government or military operations but may be ********** in other venues. The biggest benefits associated with COTS products include their ability to easily inc*****porate and install them into existing ***** or components. There are multiple products associated ***** COTS particularly computer software and electronics products.

While at first glance use of COTS seems sensible and efficient, there are many issues associated with COTS procurement. These include problems associated with obsolescence of a product, problems maintaining or finding technological supp*****t for modified products and problems ***** with standards controls among others. These issues are explored below in relation to one another and in relation to U.S. buyers, ***** the U.S. military and government's interest in COTS products.

***** Involved ***** COTS

There are many ***** *****volved with COTS specifically related to U.S. acquisitions. Generally COTS *****s, particularly those that ***** developed for ***** in ***** ***** domain as are frequently sought after by the U.S., offer buyer's reduced initial expenditures and shorter time from purchase ***** acquisition (AMS, 1999). ***** solutions allow U.S. buyers to maintain "state-of-the-art" *****, one of the reasons U.S. defense procurements ***** popular and help provide solutions that pack the most value for the money expended (AMS, 1999).

***** are however drawbacks to COTS, none the least of which is "obsolescence" of the tendency of technology driven products to become outdated (AMS, 1999). Many COTS acquired by U.S. buyers have a short life sp*****n, easily replaced by vendors as technological advances stimulate new product development.

Yet another problem associated ***** ***** products is the notion that many COTS products are designed with a specific or unique function in mind; hence a buyer such as the U.S. government interested in purchas*****g products for military ***** may find *****y are unable to match their requirements exactly to those *****fered by COTS providers (AMS, 1999). T h***** may require some trade off or measure of the cost to benefit ratios. Alternatively modifications ***** ***** COTS ***** be necessary, ***** may or may not come with a guarantee of support. The best alternative in this case is adequate documentation ***** what the supplier will and will not cover with regard to modified *****.

COTS solutions are also linked ***** open st*****ards (AMS, 1999) suggesting that a buyer using COTS ***** open the door ***** certain risks related to common standards approaches. An example of risks ***** to ***** approach include risks related to using common standards between "interoperable systems and ***** the continued support of standards in the commercial doma*****" (AMS, *****).

Next the commercial market generally ***** the life cycle ***** ***** products (AMS, 1999). ********** is little product control associated with COTS products o*****r than that offered by the ***** market itself. U.S. ***** interested in procuring products may