JOINT BASE LANGLEY-EUSTIS, Virginia -- (Sept. 13, 2016) The standardization of procedures was the focus of the first quality assurance specialist workshop conducted by the Mission and Installation Contracting Command's Field Directorate Office at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia, in August.
Lead quality assurance specialist Archie Lomax organized and led the strategic planning effort that brought together eight quality assurance specialists from contracting offices located at installations throughout the FDO.
"Today, training dollars are at a premium. Nevertheless, due to the will, adaptability and 'outside-the-box' creative thinking, Archie and his quality assurance team at FDO-Fort Eustis planned and executed a tremendously effective and fiscally responsible workshop for the benefit of those in the 1910 career series assigned across the FDO," said Ben Rush, a senior quality assurance specialist with the MICC headquarters at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, Texas.
With more than 160 years of combined experience, those in attendance were able to work toward standardizing procedures across 10 installations that fall under the FDO.
The meeting kicked off with formal introductions to include Tim Tweed, director of FDO-Fort Eustis. Many specialists met for the first time in person after working together for several years through emails and phone calls.
Over the course of two days, the specialists worked on team-building efforts to share combined knowledge, refine procedures and enhance communication; adding several more ideas for team efficiency efforts that will soon be in place. Field directorate officials said this overall time and financial investment has clarified the priorities and urgencies asked of quality assurance specialists.
Since this event, Lomax believes quality assurance specialists throughout the FDO are more united in strengthening the knowledge of one another and building team support.
Rush agreed, "This initiative resulted in the achievement of a level of peer recognition, cooperation and processes standardization that will facilitate the confidence, proficiency and precision our leadership expects while consistently measuring contractor and contracting officer representative performance through fair and standardized processes."
Headquartered at JBSA-Fort Sam Houston, Texas, the MICC is made up of more than 1,500 military and civilian members located throughout three brigades, a field directorate and 31 contracting offices responsible for contracting for Soldiers. In fiscal 2015, the command executed more than 36,000 contract actions valued at more than $5.2 billion across the Army, including $2.25 billion to American small businesses. The command also managed more than 600,000 Government Purchase Card Program transactions in fiscal 2015 valued at an additional $747 million.
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