Photo By Elizabeth Glenn | Strategic IT and Cyber Directorate leaders discuss current and upcoming requirements...... read more read more
ROCK ISLAND ARSENAL. Illinois (May 29, 2024) — Giving a chance to connect government contracting personnel with the industry members with whom they work is vital to successful partnerships and the direct impact those relationships have on the supplies and services that support the nation’s defense was a major theme at an Army Contracting Command-Rock Island (ACC-RI) recent event.
ACC-RI held its Advance Planning Briefing to Industry at the Vibrant Arena in Moline, Illinois, May 20. Lynda Armer, executive director, ACC-RI, hosted the event, which drew a maximum-occupancy crowd.
In her opening remarks, Armer focused on the three main buying mission areas ACC-RI supports: Munitions and Industrial Base (MIB), Power Projection & Base Readiness (PP&BR), and Strategic IT and Cyber (SITC), and how each of these are undergoing modernization.
“The Army is trying to figure out how to do things differently, and how to do things better,” said Armer. “I will tell you that we are going to make mistakes. We are going to try things that may not work, and we will switch directions and try something different. We don’t typically move that way. We’re very process oriented, but we are trying to think different to try to meet the needs of the Army today.”
In order to have success in making changes to expedite contracting, Armer said industry’s support, ideas, and innovation are critical to helping the Army get what it needs faster.
“Hopefully while you are here today, you’ll have a chance to meet with our teams,” said Armer. “Whether that’s in the larger audience or whether you have one-on-ones scheduled with our teams, please take the time to share with them those things that you think will make us more agile, adaptable and flexible so that we can get after all of the problems in the world that we are trying to solve today.”
Following Armer’s remarks, a panel of contracting experts spent about an hour answering industry questions. Panel members included Amber Caulkins, director, PP&BR; Elvia Jaggers, a contracting officer in ACC-RI’s MIB directorate; Troy Van Hyfte, Munitions branch chief; Emily Sheppard, SITC contracting officer; Whitney Streeter, Office of Small Business Programs, Brian Knutson, a former government contracting professional and current industry partner.
Panel members addressed a wide range of topics including what agile contracting means and how the U.S. is expanding its industrial base, to what resources industry should use to find solicitations and how ACC-RI utilizes industry’s responses to sources sought.
One common thread throughout the Panel Q&A was that government contracting professionals need industry’s expertise and understanding while working to support warfighters.
Following the panel, directors, division chiefs and branch chiefs from the center’s MIB, PP&BR and SITC Directorates held three requirements announcement sessions. Each directorate briefed on the ACC-RI personnel structure, customer, and current trends in their respective areas, before launching into short discussions on the requirements that are anticipated to be awarded in FY24 or early FY25.
Providing this information helped fuel one-on-one discussions and team meetings between government and industry, which were held all afternoon. A contingent of approximately 150 Army Contracting Command-Rock Island employees attended the event to support these engagements, which provided great value to both sides.
| Date Taken: | 05.29.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 05.29.2024 11:56 |
| Story ID: | 472452 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 35 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, ACC-RI holds Advance Planning Briefing to Industry, by Elizabeth Glenn, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
