The Cost Assessment Data Enterprise (CADE) is an Office of the Secretary of Defense Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation (OSD CAPE) initiative to increase analyst productivity and effectiveness by collecting, organizing and displaying data in an integrated single web-based application, improving data quality, reporting compliance and source data transparency. CADE aims to provide the government analyst with a single, authoritative website utilizing data visualization methods to house source data which are easily searchable and retrievable. CADE offers the analyst a reduction in the time spent on ad-hoc data collection and validation, allowing more time for in-depth, meaningful analysis in support of DoD’s mission.

Vision

CADE seeks to provide the cost estimating community with comprehensive cost, software and technical data to facilitate efficient and effective analysis and institutionalize community knowledge sharing across the cost community. Data and other cost resources in CADE include:

• Contractor Cost Data Reports (CCDRs/1921s/FlexFiles): CCDRs are the primary means within the Department of Defense (DoD) to systematically collect actual data on the development, production and sustainment costs incurred by contractors performing DoD acquisition contracts. FlexFiles are the new generation of contract cost data collection that will replace the 1921 series of data collection. FlexFiles provide significantly more data than current 1921 formats, providing the cost estimating community additional insight into historical costs.
• Cost Analysis Requirements Descriptions (CARDs): CARDs capture program level programmatic and technical descriptions that analysts use to build estimates.
• Software Resource Data Reports (SRDRs): SRDRs capture software effort, size and schedule metrics for usage as historical reference points in future cost estimates.
• CADE Library: The CADE Library houses a variety of cost documents including cost estimates, reports, studies, site visits, etc., that were collected to harness and share knowledge across the cost community and provide all government analysts with relevant context for the data.