Customer requirements are refined and elaborated into contractual requirements.

Customer requirements are analyzed in conjunction with the development of the operational concept to derive more detailed and precise sets of requirements, called contractual requirements, to be included in the solicitation package for potential suppliers and eventually in the supplier agreement. The level of detail of contractual requirements is based on the acquisition strategy and project characteristics.

Contractual requirements arise from constraints, consideration of issues implied but not explicitly stated in the customer requirements baseline, and factors introduced by design constraints and supplier capabilities. Contractual requirements include both requirements documented in contracts between an acquirer and supplier and requirements addressed through formal agreements between the acquirer and other organizations (e.g., partners, subcontractors, government agencies, internal organizational units). (See the definition of “contractual requirements” in the glossary.) Requirements are reexamined throughout the project lifecycle.

The requirements are allocated to supplier deliverables. The traceability across levels of requirements and supplier deliverables (and planned supplier delivery increments) is documented.

Refer to the Requirements Management process area for more information about maintaining bidirectional traceability of requirements.