Materiel Acquisition and Support Program (MA&S)

The Materiel Acquisition and Support Program is the Department of National Defence (DND) program covering the acquisition, support and disposal of the materiel component of a defence capability. DND describes it as excluding the identification of the requirement. National Defence uses the term for the equipment and materiel the Canadian Armed Forces need, and it is the program that DND's international materiel-cooperation activities are intended to help deliver.

The related term, materiel acquisition and support (MA&S), covers the resources and business functions required to acquire and support materiel throughout its entire life cycle. Under DAOD 3000-0, MA&S contributes to ensuring that the Canadian Armed Forces receive the right materiel in time to perform their roles and missions.

How DAOD 3000-0 defines materiel acquisition and support

DAOD 3000-0 is the Defence Administrative Order and Directive that sets the policy context for acquiring, supporting and disposing of defence materiel. It defines MA&S as the acquisition, support and disposal of the materiel component of a defence capability. It also requires that materiel be acquired and supported throughout its entire life cycle, so the policy does not stop at the point of purchase.

The definition leaves the identification of the requirement outside the program. The program begins from an identified need and covers what follows: getting the materiel, keeping it supported while it is in service, and disposing of it.

Who owns the program inside National Defence

The term is used by National Defence, including the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces. DND policy assigns responsibility for materiel acquisition and support to the Assistant Deputy Minister (Materiel), known as ADM(Mat), and the term is associated with the Materiel Group.

Canada also works with allies and partners to deliver the program. DND's international materiel-cooperation page states that these activities facilitate delivery of the defence MA&S program.

Functions the program covers across the materiel life cycle

The breadth of the term shows in DND's own programs. The Materiel Acquisition and Support Information System (MASIS) project covered these defence functions:

• systems engineering
• supply chain
• integrated logistics support (ILS)
• configuration management
• technical-data management
• maintenance management
• project management
• contract management

DND's Materiel Acquisition and Support Officer Development Program points the same way. It has streams for procurement/purchasing and supply, engineering, engineering and scientific support, electronics, and technical inspection. The term therefore covers more than the purchase event.

Related policy areas include integrated logistics support and materiel assurance, each set out in its own DAOD.

The MA&S procurement and contracting compliance framework

DND has promulgated a Materiel Acquisition and Support Procurement and Contracting/Materiel Management Compliance Program Framework. It guides training, compliance activities and risk-based reviews of procurement and contracting activities. DND's audit of contract amendments refers to the framework, which shows that contracting oversight is part of how the program operates.

What it means for a supplier bidding on Canadian public contracts

For a supplier, the Materiel Acquisition and Support Program is the name of the DND function that buys, sustains and disposes of defence materiel. It is not a bid form or a mandatory certification. A solicitation will not necessarily carry a clause with this title, so read each solicitation and contract document for its own requirements.

Because the program spans the whole life cycle, DND's interest in a supplier can extend past delivery to in-service support, technical data, maintenance and disposal. Bid teams should show how their offer supports the materiel through its life, and should expect DND's procurement and contracting compliance reviews to apply to the resulting contract.