System Support Engineering (SSE) is an emerging professional discipline requiring broad skills and competencies building on several existing knowledge domains including systems engineering, logistics engineering, supply chain and engineering design. The key concept in SSE is the incorporation of service thinking into a system engineering approach to develop support solutions that aim to "get the best value for money" on asset capabilities. The new profession is driven by changes in the way operators of major assets are approaching sustainability of their capability. Under the recent "performance based contracting" approach, a third party contractor could be responsible for the full package of support, including ownership, sustainment and operation of assets. Furthermore, contracting arrangements will include incentives and penalties against agreed levels of support service. This business model demands a new set of skills in engineers to design long term, risk managed support solutions. This paper discusses the underlying techniques for developing performance based contracting, and explores the knowledge elements in SSE that are essential to meeting these competency requirements.
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