The NATO Group on Acquisition Practices AC/313 The NATO Group on Acquisition Practices (AC/313) is one of the Main Groups of the Conference of National Armaments Directors (CNAD). It advises the CNAD on government defence procurement practices and procedures relating to armaments cooperative programme arrangements, defence trade and government-industry collaboration within the Alliance. The Group identifies, in particular, impediments to armaments cooperation within the Alliance and defines ways and incentives for facilitating such cooperation. It aims also at harmonizing international acquisition practices by fostering commonality in the drafting of MOUs and other international programme arrangements, and in the development of contract terms in support of cooperative programmes. The Group is one of the CNAD Partnership Groups (CPGs). As such, it is open to designated representatives of interested PfP nations who may, at their discretion, contribute to the discussions and associate themselves with the decisions taken by the Group. 1. Group Structure Chairman: Mr. Richard O. BURTON (CA) Terms of Reference (TOR): Ref.: PFP(ACQPR)D(98)4, dated 9 December 1998 Participants: NATO: BE, CA, CZ, DA, FR, GE, GR, HU, IT, NL, NO, PL, PO, SP, UK, US PfP: AUS, AZE, BGR, FI, ROM, SLV, SVK, SWE, CHE, UKR Liaison: NIAG Industrial Interface Group (IIG), NAMSA, NC3B NATO POC and Co-ordinator: Mr. Raymond SCHAUS, Special Adviser, DAPPP, NATO Defence Support Division (tel.: 32 02 707 4307); E-mail: r.schaus@hq.nato.int   Subordinate Groups: No formal subordinate group structure. AC/313 acts through informal Ad Hoc Working Teams, under the lead of Pilot nations. 2. Recent events Last meeting 28-29 November 2000 (NATO HQ) Next meeting 22-23 May 2001 (NATO HQ) 3. Guidelines on Contractual Terms for Cooperative Programmes (AACP-2) The AC/313 Group has assembled, and continues to assemble, its final reports to CNAD in two Allied Acquisition Practices Publications, AACP-1, entitled "Guidance Manual for Cooperative Programme Arrangements", and AACP-2, entitled "Guidance Manual on Contractual Terms for Cooperative Programmes". Both Guidance Manuals are published on this Website. The first Manual hereafter, AACP-1, sets out guidelines to facilitate the development of effective arrangements for armaments co-operative programmes. Part I, and its supplements, provide guidance for the drafting of co-operative programme Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs), whereas Part II advises on ways to enhance collaboration between governments and industry at early stages of a programme. The second AC/313 Manual available hereafter is AACP-2, which sets out guidelines on contractual terms in support of cooperative programmes, throughout the consecutive phases of the programme life-cycle, from feasibility studies, through design, development and production, to logistic support. The publication also addresses specific aspects of current contractual practice, in particular software intellectual property terms, electronic data interchange, and the creation and use of data bases. Further Guidance material supporting contractual efforts in the framework of cooperative programmes will be added to this Manual, as completed and approved by the CNAD. The contents, the scope and the way of reading this Guidance Manual are explained in the general Foreword and in the Introductions to each of its successive Volumes. 4. How to read the Guidance Manual The Guidance Manual AACP-1 covers the work accomplished by the Group on Acquisition Practices in response to its CNAD-assigned task of defining effective ways and means to facilitate armaments co-operative programmes. The Manual sets out a complete set of guidelines which the reader will find on the left-hand "g" pages throughout the publication. The "Guidelines and Sample Provisions for Memoranda of Understanding" (Part I (Samples)) are presented in a somewhat different format from the other volumes of AACP-1, in that they contain both guidelines (left-hand "g" pages; .PDF/649KB) and illustrative sample provisions (right-hand "s" pages; .PDF/129KB). The sample provisions are neither standard nor pre-negotiated provisions, but are merely intended to serve as basic material to assist those negotiating MoUs in devising provisions appropriate to each individual case. The Manual AACP-2 sets out guidance for the contracting process of the entire programme life-cycle, for use sequentially in co-operative programmes. The volumes in AACP-2 contain for each contractual term, wherever practicable, both a note on the key features or principles (left-hand "g" pages; .PDF/347KB) and a sample clause (right-hand "s" pages; .PDF/280KB). These clauses, like the sample provisions in AACP-1, are only illustrative and should merely assist those negotiating particular contracts in devising terms appropriate to the individual case.

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