Effective management of resources is a continuing challenge at every level of command in the Navy. Spiraling costs, the growing complexity of mechanical and electronic components, and the limitations of funds, skills, and time available for proper maintenance of naval ships demand full use of the best management techniques. The SFOMS provides management techniques for the control of ship's force work during an overhaul The SFOMS also provides the necessary elements for a smooth transition from an operating environment to an industrial maintenance environment.

The commanding officer is directly responsible for the effective accomplishment of all ship's force jobs, and for the management of both human and money resources during the overhaul (availability) so that upon completion of the work, there is a dependable, trained, and responsible crew. At the same time, the ship's company must have the leave and recreation they need. SFOMS provides the tools to help in attaining these goals. The system provides for a staff of shipboard personnel to schedule, manage, and control work to be accomplished by the ship's force by 

l identifying work that must be done; 

. finding out what work force, materials, and facilities are required and available; and

* developing cost estimates and schedules.

In this way SFOMS helps achieve an effective overhaul; that is, completion of the work at the least cost and in the minimum time without sacrificing quality. However, SFOMS is no longer a required management program; its use is at the discretion of the commanding officer. Further information and guidelines for the use of SFOMS are located in the NAVSHIPINST 5450.180.

Phased Maintenance Program (PMP)

The PMP is a maintenance strategy in which depot level maintenance is performed in a series of short, frequent, phased maintenance availabilities (PMAs) instead of regular overhauls. To the maximum extent practicable, repairs are authorized based on the actual material condition of the ship and its equipment. In addition to innovative material support procedures, PMP contracts enable depot level maintenance to be performed by a single contractor throughout a complete operating cycle. The goals of the PMP are maximum ship availability, improved operational readiness, and upgraded material condition.

Primary Elements of PMP

The primary elements of the phased maintenance program consists of the operating and maintenance schedules, the port engineer, the material support initiatives (prepositioned equipment), the class maintenance plan (CMP), and contracting for PMAs.

OPERATING AND MAINTENANCE SCHEDULES.- Operating and maintenance schedules incorporate PMAs of 2 to 4 months duration at intervals of approximately 15 to 18 months. Minor variations allow for operating cycle differences between classes. One PMA in the cycle is extended by 1 month to include dry docking. PMAs include both repairs and modernization.

PORT ENGINEERS.- Port engineers manage the planning for, monitor the execution of, and evaluate maintenance work on the small number of ships each port is assigned. They carry out these functions through personal observation and direct contact with ship's force, group staffs, NAVSEADET PERA, SUPSHIPs, TYCOM SUPPORT GROUPS, and other planning agencies. Port engineers are primarily concerned with depot level repairs and secondarily with IMAVs. Port engineers are directly responsible to TYCOM staff maintenance officers for planning, for work definition, and for screening recommendations. This includes conducting work definition conferences (WDCs). Through a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between TYCOM and the individual SUPSHIPS, the relationship between SUPSHIP and the port engineer is established, particularly regarding the joint authorization of any growth work by the port engineer and SUPSHIP. (New work may only be authorized by SUPSHIP after TYCOM port engineer concurrence.) Port engineers, however, do not authorize ship alterations.

MATERIAL SUPPORT INITIATIVES.-

Material support initiatives for PMP are the use of prepositioned equipment for change-out instead of repair and contingency spares to prevent delays of scheduled PMA completions because of the lack of repair parts. The prepositioned equipment is limited to a small number of major items, and the contingency spares are kept at or near the industrial activity.

Readily available parts in the Navy or Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) supply systems are excluded from contingency spares.

CLASS MAINTENANCE PLAN (CMP).- The class maintenance plan defines anticipated organizational, intermediate, and depot level maintenance requirements for systems and equipments throughout the operating cycle. Except for "legislated" requirements, a CMP task does not imply mandatory accomplishment. The judgment of the port engineer, actual equipment condition, priorities, and risk assessment are part of the repair decision.

Figure 12-1.-PMS documentation support during overhaul.

CONTRACTING FOR PMAs.- Contracting for PMAs is generally accomplished by the award of an incentive type, multiship/multiyear option contract with a competent contractor, usually in the ship's home port. Although in particular circumstances other types of contracts may be used, the main objectives of this type of contract are as follows:

1. To avoid the requirement to specify an inflexible work list before the availability is negotiated

2. To allow incentive payments for cost control, high quality, and schedule adherence

3. To allow the crew to live in home port during shipyard periods

4. To obtain "learning curve" payoffs in the form of improved efficiency and familiarity for both shipyard and ship's force, resulting in long-term savings in dollars and workdays