Selection process for commercial-off-the-shelf products used as defence equipment

Abstract

The use of commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) products provides the Department of Defence with benefits such as reduced costs and time associated with the research and development of new military defence equipment. However, acquisition organizations face several challenges in the evaluation and selection process of the correct COTS products that comply with the requirements of a client such as the Department of Defence. The purpose of this research was to present a systematic customized framework for the evaluation and selection of COTS products for use as military defence equipment. The phases involved in the COTS evaluation and selection processes, challenges faced by the evaluators and mitigation to overcome the problem were identified through the reviewed literature and evidence collected from a case study. A framework for the selection of COTS products for use as military defence equipment is proposed with the aim to eliminate the lack of support by the acquisition organization to the client during the user requirements definition phase.