The long-anticipated update to the Integrated Program Management Report (IPMR) Data Item Description (DID) was published in March, 2020. The new DID is the Integrated Program Management Data and Analysis Report (IPMDAR), DI-MGMT-81861B, and supersedes the June 2012 IPMR DID. The IPMDAR DID will show up on new contracts although individual buying commands may issue their own effective date memos. The performance reporting DID may be placed on all types of DoD acquisitions regardless of whether a formal EVMS is required. You may have already seen the new DID in solicitations and RFPs.
You can download a copy of the IPMDAR DID from the DoD ASSIST document library web site.
The Office of the Under Secretary of Defense (OUSD) Acquisition, Analytics and Policy (AAP), Earned Value Management (EVM) Division has produced a companion Implementation Guide as was done for the IPMR DID to provide additional context including tailoring instructions. This document can be downloaded from the AAP EVM Division web site. The IPMDAR File Format Specifications (FFS) and Data Exchange Instructions (DEI) are also available on this web site. These documents describe the JSON data encoding requirements that support the DID. The IPMDAR JSON data encoding replaces the IPMR UN/CEFACT XML schema with a leaner structure meant for exchanging large sets of data.
The DoD has taken a similar approach with the FlexFile Cost and Software Data Reporting (CSDR) DID that started showing up on contracts in May 2019. The FlexFile DID replaces the legacy 1921 paper-based series of formats. They have the same components: a DID that describes the data requirements along with an FFS and DEI using JSON data encoding.
The IPMDAR completes the decades-long and incremental evolution from paper-based forms to submitting a set of cost and schedule contract performance data to the DoD. Instead of the familiar paper-based Formats 1 to 4, contractors submit a set of JSON encoded time phased cost performance data so the government customer can do their own data analysis. As an option, the customer can produce the familiar report formats from the source data the contractor provides. Similar to the IPMR, the IPMDAR DID also requires the contractor to provide JSON encoded schedule data along with the native schedule file.
The new DID is a major rewrite of the IPMR DID. It is more streamlined with cross references to the related FFS and DEI – you will need all three documents to gain a better understanding of the scope of the data requirements. Items of note about the cost and narrative content requirements include:
Here is a short list of things to keep in mind as the new DID starts to show up on new contracts.
You do have a choice when it comes to EVM and cost management software. The right software tools can make it easy to submit your performance data in accordance with the IPMDAR DID requirements.
ProjStream has been at the forefront of working with the DoD to work through the FlexFile as well as IPMDAR JSON data encoding details, FFS, and DEI over the last four years. With MaxTeam, you can import and export the JSON encoded data for the IPMDAR Contract Performance Dataset (CPD). That means you can import a JSON encoded data file from your subcontractors as well as produce a JSON encoded export file for your customer.
ProjStream tools have built-in functionality so you can easily map your data to the IPMDAR and FlexFile data requirements. Our tools are designed to help you maintain top down and bottom up data traceability starting with the basis of estimate in BOEMax for the proposal phase and the complete set of time phased data in MaxTeam for the project’s execution phase. Our tools include built-in APIs to share data with schedule tools such as Primavera P6 and Microsoft Project. That makes it easy to create time phased budget and ETC data from resource loaded schedule activities so you know they are in agreement. You can also leverage the real-time nature of the schedule data for a more accurate assessment of performance to date, what is required to complete the remaining work, and likely project completion date.
Call us today. Our cost management tools can help you to easily produce government customer performance data submittals whether your CDRLs specify the IPMR or IPMDAR DIDs.