Partnership Intermediary Agreements: Analysis of Effective Practices in the Air Force Global Strike Command

Abstract

One challenge for the Department of Defense (DoD) in using innovative approaches to acquisition includes identifying best practices, lessons learned, and successful use cases and disseminating this information to other agencies for adoption. The literature includes successful use cases for Other Transaction Authorities (OTAs), but the use of Partnership Intermediary Agreements (PIAs) is still comparatively limited. The purpose of this research is to discuss effective practices in the use of PIAs within the U.S. Air Force. Specifically, our research focuses on the Air Force’s Global Strike Command PIA with the Cyber Innovation Center (CIC) for support and research within the nuclear deterrence and operations domain. In this research, we answer the question, “What are the most effective practices in the use of PIAs that will foster innovation, maximize collaborative outcomes, and achieve considerable return on investment?” We draw from practical applications in the CIC as well as other reports from the literature. Although this research focus is limited to the Air Force’s Global Strike Command PIA with the CIC, our findings can still be applied to similar PIAs in the DoD that are focused on acquiring innovative, agile, and more collaborative solutions in a timelier manner.