Many of U.S. Transportation Command's customer movements in peacetime are crucial for preparing it for future wartime requirements. However, some customers perceive the cost of movements as being too high and could choose a different service provider. This report analyzes adjustments to cost recovery that could better align customer peacetime decisions with the wartime mission.
Aligning Incentives in the Transportation Working Capital Fund
Cost Recovery While Retaining Readiness in Military Transportation
Download eBook for Free
| Format | File Size | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| PDF file | 0.6 MB | Use Adobe Acrobat Reader version 10 or higher for the best experience. |
Research Question
- What changes can be made to USTRANSCOM's TWCF cost-recovery process to better align customer peacetime decisions with the wartime mission?
During peacetime and wartime, the U.S. Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM) is responsible for moving units, people, equipment, and households by ship, aircraft, rail, and truck for the Department of Defense. The peacetime and wartime movements are interrelated, because many, but not all, customer movements in peacetime are crucial for preparing USTRANSCOM and its components for future wartime requirements. USTRANSCOM utilizes a hybrid working-capital fund (WCF) approach to recover its costs, called the Transportation Working Capital Fund (TWCF). USTRANSCOM charges rates to customers for specific services, such as moving a container by surface transportation or chartering an aircraft to move personnel; these rates include some fixed costs. How these rates are determined varies by the service provided. USTRANSCOM receives revenue from other sources to cover additional costs. Recent efforts by a USTRANSCOM working group found that customers perceive the cost of movements as being too high.
This report analyzes adjustments to TWCF cost recovery that could better align customer peacetime decisions with the wartime mission. To recommend a cost-recovery approach that meets this objective and improves transparency, the authors reviewed literature on commercial WCF best practices, analyzed budget and cost data, and interviewed stakeholders. The authors applied lessons learned in these analyses to recommend changes to TWCF cost recovery and examined these changes in the context of five deep-dive case studies.
Key Findings
USTRANSCOM is critical for wartime operations, so it cannot close even if there is a small demand for its services
- Many types of peacetime movements help USTRANSCOM prepare for the needed wartime capability. Keeping these types of movements within the Defense Transportation System can contribute to overall readiness.
- USTRANSCOM's goals are more complex than those typically found in private industry, because USTRANSCOM is not operating with a profit motive. Additionally, USTRANSCOM must accomplish its mission at a wide range of operational tempo.
USTRANSCOM is currently recovering some fixed costs — those that are required to support USTRANSCOM's mission and are largely invariant despite the level of customer activity — from customers through rates
- This policy runs against preferred practice in relevant academic literature, suggesting that customer incentives could be better aligned with the Defense Transportation System's readiness needs through changes in USTRANSCOM's cost-recovery structure.
- Customers need to be encouraged to use USTRANSCOM's services, either through mandates in DoD regulations or through financial subsidies.
- USTRANSCOM needs a mechanism to help prioritize customer requirements. Its working-capital fund can be used to serve this role when prices are structured transparently to incentivize customers to make wise choices about their transportation needs.
Recommendations
- USTRANSCOM should recover fixed costs through non-rate mechanisms, rather than through rates.
- USTRANSCOM should adjust rates to reflect activities' effects on its readiness.
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Introduction
Chapter Two
Overview of Current TWCF Processes
Chapter Three
WCF Best Practices from Industry
Chapter Four
Applying WCF Best Practices to USTRANSCOM
Chapter Five
Case Studies on Specific Areas
Chapter Six
Recommendations for a Future USTRANSCOM Cost-Recovery System
Appendix A
Policy
Appendix B
Supplementary Data Analysis
Research conducted by
This research was sponsored by USTRANSCOM's Program Analysis and Financial Management Directorate and conducted within the Acquisition and Technology Policy Center of the RAND National Defense Research Institute, a federally funded research and development center sponsored by the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Joint Staff, the Unified Combatant Commands, the Navy, the Marine Corps, the defense agencies, and the defense Intelligence Community.
This report is part of the RAND Corporation Research report series. RAND reports present research findings and objective analysis that address the challenges facing the public and private sectors. All RAND reports undergo rigorous peer review to ensure high standards for research quality and objectivity.
This document and trademark(s) contained herein are protected by law. This representation of RAND intellectual property is provided for noncommercial use only. Unauthorized posting of this publication online is prohibited; linking directly to this product page is encouraged. Permission is required from RAND to reproduce, or reuse in another form, any of its research documents for commercial purposes. For information on reprint and reuse permissions, please visit www.rand.org/pubs/permissions.
The RAND Corporation is a nonprofit institution that helps improve policy and decisionmaking through research and analysis. RAND's publications do not necessarily reflect the opinions of its research clients and sponsors.