Derivation of a Cost Factor for Electronic Data Dissemination: A Case Study

Abstract We describe derivation of a cost factor for data dissemination. Data dissemination is a subcomponent of data. “Data” are described on the third level of an acquisition system's work breakdown structure (WBS). Data costs are infrequently reported in contractor cost data reports (CCDRs), and the costs of data's subcomponents — collection, editing, and dissemination — never appear in CCDRs. Historical data were limited by an industry-wide change in the way data is collected, edited, and disseminated. We estimate a data cost factor from historical data of like programs, account for electronic vs. paper-based data collection, editing, and dissemination and then develop a fraction to capture the dissemination portion alone.