New supply model means faster delivery of aircraft parts

Boeing’s Government Services team executed RDR for the first time with deliveries for U.S. Air Force F-15s. (© Boeing photo)

Boeing and the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) recently tested a new contract-and-delivery model, called Rapid Delivery Release (RDR), that shortens the standard proposal-to-award cycle. Early trial results indicate that with RDR parts can be delivered to military customers several months faster.

Why it matters: The new process upgrades customer support and strengthens Boeing’s ability to respond during surge and emergency conditions.

• With RDR, Boeing and DLA determine a candidate list of parts. When demand occurs, Boeing receives an award to act immediately — eliminating the wait for the standard proposal development and award process.
• RDR’s demonstrated speed complements significant improvements already made in proposal turnaround time and establishes a flexible, high-performance model for urgent and surge support.
  

First trial:

• Boeing’s Government Services team executed RDR for the first time with deliveries for U.S. Air Force F-15s.
• RDR enabled the customer to receive parts on dock several months earlier compared to the traditional proposal to customer award process in all cases so far.
• The parts were selected by the customer as a test case to validate internal workflows, ensure smooth handoffs and confirm end-to-end process readiness.
• The trial’s speed execution validates RDR’s potential for higher-priority requirements, including Aircraft on Ground (AOG) and surge support.

The program team in St. Louis worked directly with the F-15 customer to complete the first successful RDR trial. (© Boeing photo)

What they’re saying: “The customer is very pleased with the concept so far," said Ian Fairless, DLASP Program senior manager. "They are learning quickly and making process changes as issues come up. It is great to know that we are supporting the customer and warfighter to get parts they need sooner. The next step is continuing the platform-by-platform kickoff and expand support with a larger part list. Congrats to the team for launching this concept and finding new ways to provide for our customers.”

Customer value:

• RDR aligns contract structure, supply chain responsiveness and internal execution to deliver parts faster than the legacy transactional spares process.
• For customers who need speed, RDR offers a measurable advantage.
• By proving the concept on the F-15 test part list and expanding in a controlled way, Boeing can extend those advantages to more platforms and parts while preserving improvements in proposal performance.

What’s next:

• The customer has interest in expanding RDR beyond the original test and an F/A-18 and AV-8B part list test with other platforms is currently underway.
• Boeing is mobilizing Mesa, Arizona, and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, supply chains to start the RDR process for upcoming Vertical Lift platform support.