TERMS OF REFERENCE: CANADIAN ARMED FORCES AND COMMERCIAL LOGISTICS CONTRACTING RESPONSIVENESS MODEL

Abstract

Effective and efficient contracting of commercially available goods and logistics services is a key capability during both theatre activation (initial deployment of forces) and force sustainment (stabilized resupply of deployed forces). This dissertation explores logistics contracting capability and responsiveness gaps within the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF). Although the CAF endeavours to remain technologically commensurate with allied militaries and military alliances (e.g. NATO), its ability to integrate and evolve multi-enterprise contracting solutions commensurate to that of industry remains largely unexplored.

CAF operations range from disaster response and peacekeeping to war operations. Given the CAF’s mandate within current socio-economic and environmental conditions, logistics contracting responsiveness and integration is increasingly critical. Employing primary and secondary sources, the purpose of this study is to derive Terms of Reference (TOR) required to develop the Department of National Defence (DND) Project Initiation Phase of a CAF Commercial Contracting Responsiveness Model (CRM) project.

The literature review is resource-based view (RBV) oriented where the military logistics context is gauged against factors that can yield sustained competitive advantages. The theoretical framework follows from Choo and Johnson’s (2004) Organizational Knowing Cycle. Vaismoradi et al.’s (2013) approach to theme development in qualitative content analysis is adapted to illicit, organize and understand primary source data.

The TOR Module definition set is the result of identifying operational contracting responsiveness gaps, focus group analysis of theme-derived Courses of Action (COAs), and the identification of constraints associated with the CRM’s impact on organizational change.