The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) implemented the Civilian Acquisition Workforce Personnel Demonstration Project (AcqDemo) in 1999 to help improve the management of DoD civilian employees who contribute to DoD’s acquisition mission—both those who are formally members of the defense acquisition workforce and those who directly support them. Congress directed independent assessments of AcqDemo in 2012, 2016, and 2025, the third of which is the subject of this report.
The current study used mixed methods and leveraged existing and new data sources to address 14 legislatively prescribed criteria, covering such issues as what flexibilities are available within AcqDemo, who is participating in AcqDemo, what supports are in place for AcqDemo operations, how well AcqDemo has performed in terms of both workforce-focused and organizational outcomes, barriers to AcqDemo operations, and how AcqDemo could be improved.
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