Guide
How long does delivery take under Foreign Military Sales?
Execution is the longest phase in the life cycle of a case and can last many years for a major system sale, because the articles are bought under the same acquisition regulations and procedures the United States uses for itself.
How long does delivery take under Foreign Military Sales?
Implementation ends and Execution begins when orders for the materiel and services are processed against the case. Execution is the longest phase in the life cycle of an case. It can last many years for a major system sale case.
Acquisition in support of , both and , can sometimes take a long time. Long acquisition lead times can be caused by several different factors.
First, for programs, there is the lead time. The lead time reflects the amount of time from receipt of the request until the is accepted and financially implemented. This lead time can represent several months, depending on the ’s complexity. For programs, the serves as both the authority and funding source for the acquisition. As a result, even though the partner’s requirements are known early in the overall process, contracting actions cannot proceed until the agreement ( or case) has been accepted and financially implemented.
Second, there is the contracting administrative lead time. The contracting administrative lead time reflects the amount of time required from when the funded requirement is provided to the respective DOD until the procurement contract is awarded to a vendor. The administrative lead time is largely influenced by the time necessary to comply with the many mandatory DOD acquisition policies and procedures. Acquisition in support of is accomplished using the same acquisition policies, procedures, and management infrastructure that are utilized to make purchases for the DOD itself. Some of the key actions accomplished during the administrative lead time include thoroughly identifying the requirement; performing to determine source options; developing clear specifications or statements of work/objectives; identifying an acquisition strategy; formulating a plan and evaluation criteria; advertising/soliciting for offers; allowing time for potential vendors to develop offers; evaluating competing offers; conducting discussions with industry to better understand offers; scoring industry proposals based on strengths/weaknesses/risks; selecting the offer that provides the overall best value; and awarding the contract.
References
SAMM
- SAMM C6.2.1
- SAMM C6.3.1 — Compliance with Department of Defense Regulations and Procedures.
Related
FMS — Foreign Military Sale
SAMM Acronyms, as of 12 September 2026
LOA — Letter of Offer and Acceptance
SAMM Acronyms, as of 12 September 2026
Foreign Military Sales (FMS)
A process, authorized by the Arms Export Control Act, through which eligible foreign governments and international organizations may purchase defense articles, services, and training from the United States Government.
SAMM Glossary, as of 12 September 2026
Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR)
The FAR is the primary regulation for use by federal executive agencies for the acquisition of supplies and services with appropriated funds. The document, published in 1984, consolidated the major procurement regulations of various departments and agencies. The intent of the FAR is to standardize the content, decrease the volume of documents, and to achieve consistency throughout government. The principal agencies involved in putting together the FAR were DoD, the General Services Administration, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the three largest buyers. The FAR is broader than just contracting and applies to all goods and services. It directs the defense program manager in many ways, including contract award procedures, acquisition planning, warranties, and establishing guidelines for competition. Besides the FAR, each agency has its supplement to describe its own particular way of doing business. The DoD supplement is called Defense FAR Supplement.
SAMM Glossary, as of 12 September 2026
Security Cooperation Programs
Any program, activity (including an exercise), or interaction of the Department of Defense with the security establishment of a partner or international organization to achieve a purpose as follows:
To build and develop allied and friendly security capabilities for self-defense and multinational operations.
To provide the armed forces with access to the partner or international organization during peacetime or a contingency operation.
To build relationships that promote specific United States security interests.
SAMM Glossary, as of 12 September 2026
Security Cooperation
Activities undertaken by the DoD to encourage and enable international partners to work with the United States to achieve strategic objectives. It includes all DoD interactions with foreign defense and security establishments, including all DoD-administered security assistance programs, that: build defense and security relationships that promote specific U.S. security interests, including all international armaments cooperation activities and security assistance activities; develop allied and friendly military capabilities for self-defense and multinational operations; and provide U.S. forces with peacetime and contingency access to host nations.
SAMM Glossary, as of 12 September 2026
Contracting Activity
Each service designates certain commands as contracting activities. The subordinate command is that in which a principal contracting office is located. It may include the program office, related functional support offices, and contracting offices. Defense Finance Acquisition Regulation Supplement 202.101 lists the contracting activities. The Head of the contracting activity has certain approval and authority responsibilities.
SAMM Glossary, as of 12 September 2026
Market Research
A process for gathering data on product characteristics, suppliers' capabilities, and the business practices that surround them. Includes the analysis of that data to inform acquisition decisions. There are two types of market research: strategic market research and tactical market research.
SAMM Glossary, as of 12 September 2026
Source Selection
The process wherein the requirements, facts, recommendations, and government policy relevant to an award decision in a competitive procurement of a system/project are examined and the decision made.
SAMM Glossary, as of 12 September 2026