What are Other Transactions authorities for?

In the episode Strategic Institute cuts through DoD's myth and lore to highlight the reason why Other Transactions were created and what problems they are intended to solve.  

Other Transactions authorities (OTs) have realized increased use, but so too has misunderstanding.  A dearth of education and misinformation from the top-down are obvious culprits, as is leadership's lack of vision.  DoD acquisition for R&D is stuck in a bad place.  It is dreadfully slow, wasteful, irrational, and lacks common business  sense.  DoD desperately needs the flexibility that allows for radically different ways of doing business to creatively engage, perform, and execute to better deliver the fruits of federal R&D, but there is little will and know-how.   If we are being honest, leadership's answer has been tantamount to shrugging, as changing the system is said to be too difficult.   Plus, insider's are comfortable and are doing well.  They have concocted many stories of their heroism while wallowing in self defeat.  

Other Transactions present an entire suite of acquisition authorities to create alternative acquisition pathways more appropriate for federal R&D activities and delivering new capability.  From the beginning, OTs are intended to provide a total alternative to the FAR-based acquisition system that is evidently inappropriate for R&D. 

DoD leadership continues to try to fix what ails the acquisition system by applying the same thinking that created the problems in the first place, and doing so repeatedly.  Is it insane?  Yes!  Is it absurd?  Even more so.   Remedies and solutions exist, policy is light-years ahead of practice, yet self imposed blinders prevent many from seeing them.   Aim to solve problems, not excuse them.