A Tale of Two Roofs: A Large Private Organization Achieves High Performance But Reverts to Traditional Procurement Practices

The Best Value Approach (BVA) is a new project delivery method that has been documented to increase performance and value. It does this by changing the traditional project delivery characteristics of managing the expert and focusing on the technical side of the project, to utilizing the expertise of the experts and using performance information and risk mitigation to manage the project. Large organizations have had difficulty in sustaining the BVA. A large private organization agreed to test the BVA on the replacement of a roofing system on one of its facilities. A case study research was performed on this project, using the grounded research approach, to identify if a large supply chain stakeholder can utilize the BVA to sustain high performance, value, and low price at the same time in a highly competitive marketplace. The research proposal is to document issues and benefits of utilizing the BVA. Identifying why large organizations have an issue with sustaining the approach and being utilized on more projects. The results of the paper will identify issues organizations have with implementing the BVA and the benefits in using the delivery system on construction services. The case study utilizes a stakeholder in the roofing industry supply chain and shows an approach to construction services that utilizes performance information and risk mitigation

Concert recording 2014-11-11

[Track 01]. A la suite classique. Part 1 ; [Track 02]. Part 2 / Yasuhide Ito -- [Track 03]. Jabberwocky / David Gillingham -- [Track 04]. Lyric suite. I. Adagio cantabile ; [Track 05]. II. Allegro giusto / Donald White -- [Track 06]. Suite for unaccompanied tuba. March ; [Track 07]. Valse ; [Track 08]. Sarabande ; [Track 09]. Galop / Walter Hartley -- [Track 10]. Suite no. 4 in E♭ major for solo cello. Prelude ; [Track 11]. Bouree / J.S. Bach -- [Track 12]. Sketches. Spirited ; [Track 13]. Slow and expressive ; [Track 14]. Marcato / Michael McFarland -- [Track 15]. Concertino. I. Allegro ma non troppo piacevole ; [Track 16]. II. Andante ma non troppo / Rolf Wilhelm -- [Track 17]. Capriccio / Krzysztof Penderecki -- [Track 18]. Concertino / James Niblock -- [Track 19]. Suite for tuba. I. Allegro ; [Track 20]. II. Andante / Don Haddad -- [Track 21]. Concerto for tuba. Prelude ; [Track 22]. Romanza ; [Track 23]. Finale / Vaughan Williams -- [Track 24]. Concerto. I. Allegro assai ; [Track 25]. II. Andantino / Vladimir Cosma -- [Track 26]. Partita. Prelude ; [Track 27]. Capriccio ; [Track 28]. Sarabande ; [Track 29]. Bourree ; [Track 30]. Scherzo / Arthur Butterworth

Bistability and Oscillations in Gene Regulation Mediated by Small Noncoding RNAs

The interplay of small noncoding RNAs (sRNAs), mRNAs, and proteins has been shown to play crucial roles in almost all cellular processes. As key post-transcriptional regulators of gene expression, the mechanisms and roles of sRNAs in various cellular processes still need to be fully understood. When participating in cellular processes, sRNAs mainly mediate mRNA degradation or translational repression. Here, we show how the dynamics of two minimal architectures is drastically affected by these two mechanisms. A comparison is also given to reveal the implication of the fundamental differences. This study may help us to analyze complex networks assembled by simple modules more easily. A better knowledge of the sRNA-mediated motifs is also of interest for bio-engineering and artificial control

Complex type 4 structure changing dynamics of digital agents: Nash equilibria of a game with arms race in innovations

The new digital economy has renewed interest in how digital agents can innovate. This follows the legacy of John von Neumann dynamical systems theory on complex biological systems as computation. The Gödel-Turing-Post (GTP) logic is shown to be necessary to generate innovation based structure changing Type 4 dynamics of the Wolfram-Chomsky schema. Two syntactic procedures of GTP logic permit digital agents to exit from listable sets of digital technologies to produce novelty and surprises. The first is meta-analyses or offline simulations. The second is a fixed point with a two place encoding of negation or opposition, referred to as the Gödel sentence. It is postulated that in phenomena ranging from the genome to human proteanism, the Gödel sentence is a ubiquitous syntactic construction without which escape from hostile agents qua the Liar is impossible and digital agents become entrained within fixed repertoires. The only recursive best response function of a 2-person adversarial game that can implement strategic innovation in lock-step formation of an arms race is the productive function of the Emil Post [58] set theoretic proof of the Gödel incompleteness result. This overturns the view of game theorists that surprise and innovation cannot be a Nash equilibrium of a game

General Services Administration Streamlines the Procurement of Construction Services

Proceedings Paper (for Acquisition Research Program)The General Services Administration (GSA) Heartland Region is implementing a best value process (which minimizes time and cost deviations 98% of the time) and which minimizes the need for client''s decision making, transfers the risk and control of a project to the vendor, and forces the vendor to manage and minimize the non-technical risk that the vendor does not control. The Performance Information Risk Management System (PIRMS) has been tested by the US Army Medical Command and has minimized over 50% of client project management and risk management transactions, and also minimized cost and time deviations by as much as 70%. The new paradigm uses Deming''s concept of managing and minimizing the project deviation instead of meeting minimum standards. The system forces the client''s representatives to do quality assurance, and the vendor to do quality control. The mechanism used is a risk management plan and a weekly risk report that creates transparency between buyer and vendor. The system can minimize up to 90% of the government''s transactions and activities. The system is a new paradigm for government systems.Naval Postgraduate School Acquisition Research ProgramApproved for public release; distribution is unlimited

PM Model of the Future Source Selection, Risk Management, Contract Administration

Symposium Presentation (for Acquisition Research Program)Symposium PresentationNaval Postgraduate School Acquisition Research ProgramApproved for public release; distribution is unlimited