🔥 Surviving the Shift: What EIA-748 Rev E, DECM/IPMDAR, and FAR/DFARS Changes Really Mean for Project Controls🔥
Last week, I had the privilege of presenting “Surviving the Shift – Adapting Project Controls to the EIA-748 and FAR Evolution” at Deltek ProjectCon 2025 — and the message was unmistakable:
A massive reset is coming to EVMS, Project Controls, and government acquisition. This isn’t guidance. It’s transformation.
Across three fronts — EIA-748 Rev E, DCMA DECM/IPMDAR, and FAR/DFARS — the rules, expectations, and oversight mechanisms are changing at once. And programs that don’t adapt early will feel it.
Here’s the distilled truth from the session.
1. EIA-748 Rev E — Fewer Guidelines, Higher Expectations
EIA-748 Rev E is fully adjudicated and awaiting SAE release. Yes, the guideline count drops from 32 → 27, but let’s be clear:
Nothing about compliance is getting easier.
Rev E focuses on:
Consolidation removes duplication
Objective performance measurement emphasized even more
Clearer baseline control (internal replanning, OTB/OTS)
Explicit integration of scope, schedule, and budget under one framework
And as soon as SAE publishes, National Defense Industrial Association - (NDIA)'s Intent Guide drops immediately behind it — already aligned, already written.
What this means for programs:
System Descriptions must be rewritten.
CAM training must be refreshed.
Internal processes must reflect Rev E’s clarified expectations.
Audit rigor will sharpen, not soften.
Streamlined guidelines do not mean reduced scrutiny.
EVMS EIA-748 Guideline Crosswalk
EVMS EIA-748 - 27 Guidelines
2. Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA) DECM & IPMDAR — Automation Is the New Enforcer
DECM — The Gatekeeper of Data Credibility
DCMA’s surveillance model has fully shifted under DCMA MAN 2303-01 Vol 3, moving to a risk-based approach with a clear split between system-level and deliverable-level oversight.
At the heart of this model is the reorganized DECM 3-tier priority system:
DECM → 3-tier priority system
59 Standard metrics — the high-impact issues (logic, float, invalid CP, integration)
10 Conditional metrics — activated for deeper analysis
70 Low-priority metrics — monitored by exception
Beginning FY26, these metrics will drive automated surveillance — and non-compliant CDRLs can be rejected outright. A single rejection triggers immediate corrective action.
Each quarter, DCMA reassesses risk likelihood and consequence to adjust oversight intensity. If recurring data-quality issues surface — missing correlations, excessive float, schedule/cost mismatches — DCMA can increase cadence:
Spot checks
Mid-cycle data pulls
Interim Corrective Action updates
The core of DECM oversight is now centered on:
IMS credibility
Critical path truth
Valid float and logic
Schedule realism
If your schedule can’t withstand DECM scrutiny, your entire EVMS credibility is compromised.
IPMDAR — The Bridge to Digital Acquisition
IPMDAR is the mandatory reporting standard on all new DoD contracts, replacing CPR and IPMR. Legacy formats remain only on legacy programs until they close or are modified.
The next evolution is IPMDAR “D,” which is:
Fully adjudicated
Internally approved
Awaiting EIA-748 Rev E publication before formal release (expected early 2026)
Key updates in IPMDAR “D”:
Cost, schedule, and narrative must share the same as-of date — integration is enforced
Adds signature and proprietary statements to validate data authenticity
Implements 16 government-business-day delivery timing, with sequencing (schedule → cost → narrative)
Codifies the annual CEAC requirement
Reinforces critical-path and risk integration in the schedule section
Makes JSON/XML machine-readable data primary — PDFs are now secondary
IPMDAR “D” isn’t a formatting change — it’s the pipeline to digital acquisition. Agencies are already updating DECM logic, Analyzer, and CDRL templates in preparation for rollout once Rev E publishes.
3. FAR / DFARS — A Regulatory Reset Decades in the Making
The Revolutionary FAR Overhaul (RFO) is rewriting acquisition rules for the first time in 35+ years.
What’s coming:
Pre-Award IBR (52.234-2) and Post-Award IBR (52.234-3) eliminated
Consolidated into a single streamlined EVMS clause (52.234-4)
IBRs emphasized as recurring events
Clear alignment with DFARS
Cleaner, more enforceable language
And while FAR finalization is expected in FY26, civilian agencies are already adopting model deviation text now.
DFARS remains the enforcement backbone:
≥ $50M → compliant system required
≥ $100M → validated system required
Flowdown obligations to major subs
DCMA risk-based oversight already operational
Primes are accountable for subcontractor EVMS and IBR readiness — period!
4. What It All Means: Surviving the Shift
Across all three pillars, the theme is clear:
IBR readiness is now a continuous requirement — not a milestone.
Programs must always be able to walk the baseline.
Internal surveillance must mature before customer surveillance does.
Run DECM, validate IPMDAR, and enforce baseline discipline internally.
Policies, training, and system architecture must be updated now — not after enforcement hits.
Data credibility is the new compliance currency.
Weak data won’t survive the new ecosystem.
The organizations that thrive will be those that adapt early, strengthen discipline, and embrace the tighter integration of scope, cost, and schedule.
As I said during the presentation: Surviving the shift isn’t about compliance. It’s about readiness, truth, and disciplined execution.
📞 Let’s Talk!
At Elixir Value Management Systems, we help aerospace, defense, space, and nuclear energy contractors modernize and integrate Earned Value Management Systems (EVMS) and Project Controls to enhance program delivery, improve maturity, and strengthen compliance.
Whether your organization needs support preparing for EIA-748 Rev E, navigating the technical demands of DCMA DECM metrics and IPMDAR reporting, or aligning to the evolving requirements under FAR and DFARS, our team provides the expertise and strategic oversight to help you stay ahead of the shift and deliver with confidence.
📧 karlo.menoscal@elixirvms.com
📞 949-351-8896
🔥 Unlock the Alchemy of EVMS Excellence™ with Elixir Value Management Systems, Inc.
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