SAE EIA-649-1

About EIA-649-1

SAE International's standard EIA-649-1, "Configuration Management Requirements for Defense Contracts", is a defense-unique standard to the non-government standard EIA-649B, "Configuration Management Standard". It offers valuable advice on requirements for achieving successful CM implementations.

649-1 provides requirements specific to defense contracts, helping the government and/or industry acting in the acquirer role place CM requirements on DoD contracts. These requirements are intended to be tailored by the acquirer and cited in contracts with suppliers to establish requirements. 649-1 supplies the “shall” statements for implementing the 649 CM functions and principles.

The 649-1 standard was published in November 2014 and is written by the US DoD-sponsored Configuration Management Standards Working Group (CMSWG) with balloting (i.e. approval) and publication performed by committee that wrote the EIA-649B Configuration Management Standard. Its authors come from diverse backgrounds, were part of the G-33 Committee, and are experienced in the field of CM. SAE International owns the rights to this and all related 649 standards.

As of this writing, 649-1 references 649B. The CMSWG is currently balloting SAE-STD-649-1A, which will bring the current document in line with the newly released SAE EIA-649C standard.

The Difference Between 649, 649-1, & 649-2

SAE-EIA-649, “Configuration Management Standard”, is the best-known industry standard for configuration management (CM). It covers the full scope of CM, explains CM, and provides the rationale for the various CM processes. It is applicable to both commercial and government environments. It addresses the what and why for best CM practices, as well as what is required in order to claim compliance to the standard, though it does not mandate the use of specific approaches.

SAE EIA-649-1, “Configuration Management Requirements for Defense Contracts” provides tailorable terminology, references, and shall statements necessary for contractually obligating suppliers to SAE EIA-649B principles and the other normative aspects of Section 5 of the 649B standard. It does not explain overall CM processes to the detail found in 649B. Instead, it specifically addresses acquirer/supplier CM requirements in the DoD, and is meant for the defense environment only. The purpose of 649-1 is to provide a variety of standardized CM requirements that can be specified, tailored, and written into defense contracts. Example: If 649-1 requirements are specified in a contract the contractor would then have to use 649-1 specified forms, and use DoD approved DIDs etc. This is similar to the approach taken when the DoD was calling out Military-Standard-973 in suppliers contracts (NOTE: MIL-STD-973 has been cancelled for many years now).

SAE EIA-649-2, “Configuration Management Requirements for NASA Enterprises” provides a "consistent and systematic set of requirements that are used for the management of Configuration Items (CIs) delivered to, or produced by NASA. It applies to all products produced by NASA Headquarters and NASA Centers, including Component Facilities and Technical and Service Support Centers. This Standard may also apply to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and suppliers/service providers to the extent specified in their agreements with NASA. This Standard may be cited in the CM requirements of NASA Headquarters, NASA Centers, Programs, Projects, and Supplier agreements."

The Bottom Line:

The 649 based “dash series” represent additional configuration management requirements associated with specific environments. Even though SAE International's 649B standard is the “parent” level standard to the defense specific 649-1 standard and NASA specific 649-2, they must be considered three different standards. The "dash series" standards do not duplicate the content of the 649.

The “649-X" identifier has caused confusion, but the 649 committee wanted to do this to show that the 649-1 requirements (specific to DoD contracting) and the 649-2 requirements (specific to NASA) are based on best practices found in 649B.

Learn More About EIA-649-1

The configuration management training and certification company, CMPIC, teaches a 3-day course that addresses the full 649-1 standard, "Configuration Management Requirements for Defense Contracts".

Their course explains the logic and meaning behind the various EIA-649-1 principles, including associated DID’s and DD Forms, and offers options for implementation approaches and how best to tailor and apply the standard in various environments.

If you are working with the DoD, want to understand the requirements in your contracts, want to place industry standard CM requirements in your contracts, or want to become more educated in CM, this class could be beneficial to you.

Students who complete CMPIC's training receive an authorized PDF copy of the SAE EIA-649-1 standard, a respected certification from CMPIC, and Continuing Education Units (CEUs) from the University of Houston.

If interested in attending this course, please click the button below or visit CMPIC's website: https://cmpic.com/10-defense-contracts-649-1.htm

• "Configuration Management Requirements For Defense Contracts EIA649_1" SAE International (2014)
• "Update on SAE EIA-649-X Series of Configuration Management Standards" Steve Easterbrook (2016)
• "Configuration Management Requirements for NASA Enterprises EIA649-2" SAE International (2018)
• "SAE EIA-649-1 Configuration Management Requirements for Defense Contracts Certification" CMPIC LLC (2020)
• "SAE EIA 649" webpage (2020)