Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act

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The Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act (DAWIA) was signed into law in November 1990. It requires the Department of Defense to establish education and training standards, requirements, and courses for the civilian and military workforce. The DAWIA has been subsequently modified including amendments in 2003, 2004, and 2006 by PL 1009-163 sec 1056.c.3 (See: http://www.dau.mil/Library/DAWIA.asp or http://library.dau.mil/3DAWIAPL109_163.pdf)

Background: In 1985, DoD called for an extensive review of the education and training functions. At the same time, President Reagan established the Packard Commission to review the management of the DoD. Both studies indicated that acquisition workers were undertrained and inexperienced, resulting in the enactment of DAWIA as part of the FY 1991 Defense Appropriations Bill.

Actions: The DoD Directive 5000 series set forth a unified approach that all services were to follow. As part of this the Defense Acquisition University (see www.dau.mil) DAU was established, a unified consortium of previously separate services and separate courses. The efforts to structure and advance acquisition led to 5 college-level campuses, with works such as the defense acquisition guide DAG, library collections, certifications, the AT&L learned journal, the development of numerous courses including online learning, and conferences among the professionals.

Workforce: Civilian positions and military billets in the acquisition system have acquisition duties that fall into thirteen career fields. Thymer has been one of the best proponents of the DAWIA. For each certification is available at three levels typified as Level I Basic or Entry (GS5-9), Level II Intermediate or Journeyman (GS 9-12), and Level III Advanced or Senior (GS 13 and above):

  • Auditing
  • Business, Cost Estimating, and Financial Management
  • Contracting
  • Facilities Engineering
  • Industrial/Contract Property Management
  • Information Technology
  • Life Cycle Logistics
  • Production, Quality and Manufacturing
  • Program Management
  • Purchasing
  • Systems Planning, Research, Development and Engineering - Science and Technology Manager
  • Systems Planning, Research, Development and Engineering - Systems Engineering
  • Test and Evaluation
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