PAM 70-3 — Army Acquisition Procedures
PAM 70-3 governs Army acquisition programs and systems within the Adaptive Acquisition Framework and supports acquisition and sustainment.
- Publication number: PAM 70-3
- Title: ARMY ACQUISITION PROCEDURES
- Date: 08/15/2025
- Proponent: ASA (AL&T)
- Status: ACTIVE
View PAM 70-3 on armypubs.army.mil
Related publications
PAM 70-3 covers acquisition strategy, testing and evaluation, program design, resource estimates, reporting, and talent management. It describes iterative acquisition pathways, risk management, and requirements for program reviews and decision-making.
Applies to: This guidebook applies to the Regular Army, the Army National Guard, and the U.S. Army Reserve.
Topics covered
- Adaptive acquisition pathways
- Acquisition strategy
- Test and evaluation
- Program design
- Life cycle resource estimates
- Program reporting
- Army acquisition workforce talent management
Questions and answers
What processes does PAM 70-3 provide for Army acquisition programs?
The guidance provides processes, procedures, and best practices that support program managers, decision authorities and milestones decision authorities in the acquisition and sustainment of products and services. (paragraph 1-1)
When are integrated product teams established in acquisition programs?
The IPTs for implementation of the IPPM concept are established early in acquisition programs and will be the primary forum for challenging requirements and their associated costs, managing total program progress, and evaluating product quality throughout the life cycle. (paragraph 6-1)
What can program managers tailor under the Adaptive Acquisition Framework?
The framework provides pathways that allow program managers, with the approval of the Milestone Decision Authority/Decision Authority (MDA/DA), to tailor program strategies, oversight, phase content, timing and scope of decision reviews, and decision levels based on the characteristics of the capability being acquired. (paragraph 1-6)
What cost limits apply to the Urgent Capability Acquisition Pathway?
To qualify for this pathway, the solution's estimated cost must not exceed $525 million in research, development, and test and evaluation, or $3.065 billion procurement in Fiscal Year 2020 constant dollars. (paragraph 1-7)