Alternative Dispute Resolution To Spur Cooperation For Air Force, Contractors
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Since 1999, the Air Force has been promoting Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) as the preferred method of solving disputes with contractors, and the service believes that ADR offers the potential to promote cooperation between the Air Force and industry, as well as saving millions of dollars previously devoted to lengthy litigation. Two years ago, Darleen Druyun, a senior Air Force acquisition official, made ADR a priority and said she wanted to make ADR the norm, not the “alternative.” Before 1999, the Air Force had pursued ADR on an “ad hoc” basis. Druyun entered into agreements with all the service’s major suppliers to use ADR on the front end of disputes, and the Air Force said it now has 17 such agreements that represent the majority of the service’s procurement budget. In January last year, Air Force Materiel Command began offering ADR in almost all appeals pending before the Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals (ASBCA), Joe McDade, the service’s associate general counsel Source : accessmylibrary.com |