We are pleased to announce that on the 30th of September, one day prior to the conference, a pre-conference workshop were held. This Performance-Based Logistics workshop were about the Current Perspectives and developed in cooperation with the University of Tennessee: Center for Executive Education (Knoxville, USA).

This workshop provided detailed insights on best practices of performance-based product support, as described and refined in military organizations around the world in the past decade.

These best practices are not specific to the United States– though the United States Department of Defense is the broadest application – and can be applied at the component, sub-system, or weapons systems level. Performance-based, outcome oriented approaches catalyze innovation in both government and industry, providing more effective and affordable solutions for weapons systems support.

By the end of the workshop, delegates were able to:

• Describe the benefits of PBL
• Identify candidate systems for PBL initiatives
• Understand the opportunities and challenges inherent in PBL
• Explain the principles, practices, tools and tenets of Performance-Based Logistics
• Discuss current developments in PBL practice
• Point to successful implementations of PBL

This interactive and participative workshop covered the following areas:

• What is PBL, and where does it seem to be headed?
• The trade space . . . best value tradeoffs and finding the compelling opportunity among cost, performance, profit, affordability, investment, and enterprise priorities)
• Tenets:  just what are the building blocks of a PBL relationship?
• The network implications of PBL . . . partnerships, the opportunities inherent in “pooled” requirements and a virtual fleet.
• Review and discussion of the PBL award winning programs in the United States
• Policy insights and political considerations in America, and implications for European partners