Performance Based Contracting

Performance-based contracting (PBC), also known as performance-based logistics (PBL) or performance-based acquisition, is a product support strategy used to achieve measurable performance outcomes, for example in the defense industry. A PBC approach focuses on developing strategic performance metrics and directly relating contracting payment to performance against these metrics. Common metrics include availability, reliability, maintainability, supportability and total cost of ownership. The primary means of accomplishing this are through incentivized, long-term contracts with specific and measurable levels of operational performance defined by the customer and agreed on by contracting parties. This stands in contrast to the traditional waterfall approach, where payment is related to completion of milestones and project deliverables.

PBC is about buying performance, not transactional goods and services, through an integrated acquisition and logistics process delivering improved capability to a range of products and services. PBC is a support strategy that places primary emphasis on optimising system support to meet the needs of the user. PBCs delineate outcome performance goals, ensure that responsibilities are assigned, provide incentives for attaining these goals, and facilitate the overall life-cycle management of system reliability, supportability, and total ownership costs. A PBC in practice involves a contracting agency (who are contracting the work to an external provider) and a contractor (who are responsible for completing the work set out in the contract). Several other parties are often involved, including subcontractors, a legal team and consultants. These parties work for both contracting agency and contractor completing various elements of work associated with contract development, contracted work completion or performance management / measurement.

United States federal law defines performance-based acquisition and treats it as "the preferred method for acquiring services".

A typical process for implementing a PBC is as follows:

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