10 U.S.C. § 3222: Independent cost estimate required before approval

(a) Requirement.— A milestone decision authority may not approve entering the engineering and manufacturing development phase, or production and deployment phase, of a major defense acquisition program or major subprogram unless an independent cost estimate has been conducted or approved by the Director of Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation and considered by the milestone decision authority that includes a cost estimate of the full life-cycle cost of the program or subprogram. (b) Regulations.—The regulations governing the content and submission of independent cost estimates required by section 3221 of this title shall require that the independent cost estimate of the full life-cycle cost of a program or subprogram include—(1) all costs of development, procurement, military construction, operations and support, and trained manpower to operate, maintain, and support the program or subprogram upon full operational deployment, without regard to funding source or management control; and (2) an analysis to support decisionmaking that identifies and evaluates alternative courses of action that may reduce cost and risk, and result in more affordable programs and less costly systems.