This program presented a challenging idea - have the total lifetime cost of a to-be-designed artillery system constrain decisions from the very start of development. Though it has been said many times in the past, few programs ever really undertake the challenge, leaving life cycle cost hostage to whatever has been designed. Not this project. An active CAIV program began the first day of design, even though it would be 12 plus years until deployment of the first production article. PRICE H is the costing tool that measures the acquisition cost of the system. It is driven by an interface to the design engineering process so that alternatives are reflected in variations to the cost driving parameters. These in turn produce estimates reflective of the alternatives. PRICE H then interfaces with a customized TOC tool to produce a lifetime estimate. This process is carried out daily (by a team of PRICE Systems consultants working as the CAIV subcontractor to the system designer) as design continues to evolve.
The success of the project has enabled the system user to drive to an affordable and effective system, while supporting the system developers efforts to achieve maximum award fee; a program that is both profitable to the developer and effective for the end user - that is success.