10 U.S.C. § 4214: Baseline description

The Secretary of a military department shall establish a baseline description for each major defense acquisition program and for each designated major subprogram under the program under the jurisdiction of such Secretary. The baseline shall include sufficient parameters to describe the cost estimate (referred to as the “Baseline Estimate” in sections 4371 through 4375 of this title), schedule, performance, supportability, and any other factor of such major defense acquisition program or designated major subprogram. No amount appropriated or otherwise made available to the Department of Defense for carrying out a major defense acquisition program or any designated major subprogram under the program may be obligated after the program or subprogram enters system development and demonstration without an approved baseline description unless such obligation is specifically approved by the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment. before the program or subprogram enters system development and demonstration; before the program or subprogram enters production and deployment; and before the program or subprogram enters full rate production. In this subpart, the term “original Baseline Estimate”, with respect to a major defense acquisition program or any designated major subprogram under the program, means the baseline description established with respect to the program or subprogram under subsection (a) prepared before the program or subprogram enters system development and demonstration, or at program or subprogram initiation, whichever occurs later, without adjustment or revision (except as provided in paragraph (2)). An adjustment or revision of the original baseline description of a major defense acquisition program or any designated major subprogram under the program may be treated as the original Baseline Estimate for the program or subprogram for purposes of this chapter only if the percentage increase in the program acquisition unit cost or procurement unit cost under such adjustment or revision exceeds the critical cost growth threshold for the program or subprogram under sections 4371 through 4375 of this title, as determined by the Secretary of the military department concerned under section 4374 of this title . In the event of an adjustment or revision of the original baseline description of a major defense acquisition program or any designated major subprogram under the program, the Secretary of Defense shall include in the next Selected Acquisition Report to be submitted under section 4351 of this title after such adjustment or revision a notification to the congressional defense committees of such adjustment or revision, together with the reasons for such adjustment or revision. The content of baseline descriptions under this section. The submission to the Secretary of the military department concerned and the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment by the program manager for a program for which there is an approved baseline description (or in the case of a major defense acquisition program with one or more designated major subprograms, approved baseline descriptions for such subprograms) under this section of reports of deviations from any such baseline description of the cost, schedule, performance, supportability, or any other factor of the program or subprogram. Procedures for review of such deviation reports within the Department of Defense. Procedures for submission to, and approval by, the Secretary of Defense of revised baseline descriptions. The amendments made by this section [amending this section and former section 2433 of this title ] shall take effect on the date of the enactment of this Act [ Jan. 6, 2006 ], and shall apply with respect to any major defense acquisition program for which an original Baseline Estimate is first established before, on, or after that date. the current Baseline Estimate for the program as of such date of enactment is deemed to be the original Baseline Estimate for the program for purposes of [former] section 2433 of title 10 , United States Code [see 10 U.S.C. 4371 to 4375] (as amended by this section); and The original Baseline Estimate, as first established for the program, without adjustment or revision. The Baseline Estimate for the program that is deemed to be the original Baseline Estimate for the program under subparagraph (A). The current original Baseline Estimate for the program as adjusted or revised, if at all, in accordance with subsection (d)(2) of section 2435 of title 10 , United States Code [now 10 U.S.C. 4214(d)(2) ] (as added by subsection (d) of this section).”