Simulating a Contract Closeout Process

Abstract

Government defense contractors are burdened by contracts which have ended, but have not been finalized and closed. In order to keep good relations with organizations regulating government contracts, contractors have been forced to devise a strategy to address contract closeouts. Data was collected about a defense contractor’s contract closeout process, and a simulation model of the system was developed to aid in completing the contract closeout process. Using simulation software, the closeout process was successfully modeled under varying resource levels. The simulation model included true worker process times with integrated schedules, including holidays, over the expected period of performance. The simulation produced a realistic model which allows an organization to plan their resources to accomplish their contract closeout process under specified conditions and deadlines. The results are relevant to government (public sector) contracts as well as industrial (private sector) contracts where similar regulations are applicable.