TAA contracting division named top shop in USACE

By Mike A. Glasch, USACE Transatlantic Afghanistan DistrictJanuary 12, 2016

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1 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Lt. Col. Joe Davis, right, chief of contracting, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers -- Transatlantic Afghanistan District (TAA), receives a T-wall plaque from the Frank Sanchez, deputy of contracting, TAA, Wednesday during a town hall meeting on Bagram Air... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
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2 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption – (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan -- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers -- Transatlantic Afghanistan District (TAA) Contracting Division has been named the 2015 USACE Excellence in Contracting Awards Program -- District of the Year.

"Receiving this recognition lets the team know that all the hard work they did this year was noticed by the senior leadership in USACE" said Lt. Col. Joe Davis, chief, contracting, TAA.

The nominees were judged on their work in the three broad areas: leadership, contracting excellence, and professional development by describing situations and statistics from the fiscal year including: problem statement/initiative, action(s) and results.

"It really shows the success that a shop accomplishes in the face of challenges and adversities, doing work above and beyond what your typical contracting shop does on a day-to-day basis," Davis said.

"Our contracting division plays a critical role in the execution of our mission," said Col. Paul Owen, commander, TAA. "A project's success or failure can be determined based on how well the contract is written and negotiated. It takes specialized training and a unique skill to do this right. TAA's contracting division is exceptionally skilled at this, especially considering the unique operating environment in Afghanistan."

One of the biggest challenges TAA's contracting office had to adapt to this past year was adjusting to a 180-degree change in mission.

"At the beginning of the year there was a projection that the district was going to be closing down. Because of that, contracting (division) was focused primarily on post-award type actions," Davis said.

"When I first arrived here (May), we received the indication that not only would we not be closing down, but that we would be growing. So we had to switch gears in mid-stream," he said "We has to move from just doing post-award type actions to being a full-service contracting shop again doing post-award and pre-award, and doing all types of contracting actions that a regular contracting office would do. That also meant that we had to adjust our manning levels to accommodate the increased work load."

According to Davis, the change of mission resulted in 46 new contract awards being awarded; valued at more than $228 million, along with 418 modifications with obligations and de-obligations valued at $39.5 million. By the end of the fiscal year, the TAA contracting office was ready to award and, or, facilitate a projected workload consisting of 93 projects with an estimated contract value of $1.1 billion.

Davis said that it is more than the number and the value of the contracts that sets his team apart from other contracting shops. He said there is an intrinsic character each member of his team possesses.

"First, you're operating seven days a week. You're operating 10 to 12 hours a day, and the fourth quarter it's longer than that; you're working 14 to 16 hours a day. You're doing all that in a contingency environment," he said. "Stateside they are working five days a week, 8-10 hours, maybe 12-14 hours a day during that fourth quarter, but nowhere near the operational tempo we have here.

"You're away from friends, you're away from your family, you develop a family-type relationship with the people you live and work with everyday; so it's very important that you get along with the people you work with. It takes a very special kind of person to raise their hand and volunteer to come to this type of environment," Davis added. "Fortunately this contracting shop everybody gets along very well. We work very well together, we're able to communicate, we're able to execute and it's indicative of our success during the past year. I couldn't be prouder of this team."

This is not the first time a team led by Davis has been in the spotlight. In 2013, the contracting office for the Albuquerque District won the same award. Davis was the chief of contracting in that shop as well.

"Joe is exceptionally skilled at building effective teams," Owen said "He's done this throughout his military career and especially in USACE as the contracting division chief here in Afghanistan. We are very privileged to have him as part of our team."

Davis recently completed his Master's Degree in Building Construction (MBC) from Auburn University through a program offered by the Corps of Engineers. He completed his capstone project and presentation while he has been deployed with TAA.