What is IPMDAR?

by John Duval

The US DoD Office of Acquisition, Analytics and Policy (AAP) Earned Value Management (EVM) division has released the IPMDAR (Integrated Program Management Data and Analysis Report) that will replace the Integrated Program Management Report (IPMR). The IPMDAR contains data for measuring contract execution progress on Department of Defense (DoD) acquisition contracts. The IPMDAR’s primary purpose to the Government is to reflect current contract performance status and the forecast of future contract performance. The Data Item Description DI-MGMT-81861B contains the format, content requirements, and intended use of information for the data deliverable resulting from the work task described in the solicitation.

History

DI-MGMT-81861 was released on 20 June 2012 and covered IPMR Formats 1–5. On 16 September 2015, Version A was released which consolidated Formats 1–5 with Format 6 (Integrated Master Schedule, or IMS) and introduced a new Format 7 (Electronic History). After several years of collaboration between the National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA) and AAP (PARCA), the IPMDAR was approved and released on 11 March 2020. The original document and Version A were 33 pages each; Version B was reduced to 14 pages.

What Changed?

The release of DI-MGMT-81861 Version B brings significant changes to earlier versions. For starters, the name IPMDAR was selected over IPMR2 to emphasize “Data and Analysis.” Similar name changes have occurred over the years: Cost Performance Report (CPR) to Contractor Performance Report (CPR) to Integrated Program Management Report (IPMR) to IPMDAR. Each name change attempted to shift stakeholders’ perceptions from a “financial” report to a “program management performance” report. All references to American National Standards Institute (ANSI) have been removed.

Gone are requirements for submitting Format 1 (WBS), Format 2 (OBS), Format 3 (Baseline) and Format 4 (Staffing). Instead, the new requirement is to submit a Contractor Performance Dataset (CPD) where calculations are performed post-delivery by the government. Datasets are sent to and stored in the AAP EVM Central Repository (EVM-CR) where Formats 1–4 can be recreated using raw data. In theory, this should eliminate discrepancies between formats and provide stakeholders with extensive analysis opportunities and automated compliance testing. All unclassified contracts with an IPMDAR requirement will be required to submit a monthly CPD regardless of Acquisition Category (ACAT) classification or contract value. The details of the data requirements are referenced in the DoD approved File Format Specifications (FFS) and Data Exchange Instructions (DEI).

Format 5 (Variance Analysis Report, or VAR) was renamed the Performance Narrative Report and requires very similar content to earlier releases. Requirements and definitions are more clearly articulated in the latest release.

Format 6 (IMS) appears largely unchanged. A native file in addition to a Schedule Performance Dataset (SPD) are required. Some additional data mapping requirements are specified for risk tasks. The proper applications of Schedule Visibility Tasks (SVT) are defined as are the rules for how schedule margin is applied.

Format 7 (Electronic History and Analysis File) is spelled out in the CPD specifications and instructions. Delivery is still expected on an annual basis (nominally)

CDRL delivery deadline requirements have been modified. Version A required only 12 working days before Formats 1–7 were due, unless the program complexity, subcontractor integration challenges, or other significant challenges warranted negotiating a maximum of 17 working days. The new requirement encourages multiple deliveries as early as possible with everything due no later than 16 working days after the accounting period closes. The new instructions promote sharing information earlier with the understanding the data will not be final (done-done) until the 16th working day. Recommended sequence of incremental submissions is the SPD (IMS), then the CPD, and finally the Performance Narrative Report which includes the Executive Summary, Control Account VARs, and documentation on numerous program level categories.

To get an electronic copy of the IPMDAR, FFS, and DEI, go to https://www.acq.osd.mil/evm/#/policy-guidance/ipmdar-dei-ffs.

If you would like to learn more about the new IPMDAR, the NDIA Integrated Program Management Division (IPMD) will be hosting a panel discussion of Industry and Government experts via a teleconference on Monday, 27 April from 2–4 EDT. To learn more and register, go to https://www.ndia.org/events/2020/4/27/ipmdar-webinar.

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