ROCK ISLAND ARSENAL, Illinois -- U.S. Army Contracting Command-Rock Island and U.S. Army Sustainment Command representatives met with dozens of industry members at the Isle of Capri, Bettendorf, Iowa, Nov. 15-17.
The event kicked off with a briefing on Enhanced Army Global Logistics Enterprise II -- the successor to ASC's current EAGLE program, which will cover fiscal years 2017 to 2023. There were 127 contractors from 95 companies in attendance.
EAGLE is "a combined business philosophy and contract mechanism to acquire maintenance, supply and transportation services executed through task orders against a basic ordering agreement," according to the EAGLE Business Office. Industry partners interested in competing on EAGLE task orders must be a BOA holder.
A panel of EAGLE experts comprised of Brian Almonrode, chief, EAGLE Business Office, ASC; Jody Fasko, director, Contract Management Office, ASC; Christopher Dake, chief, EAGLE & Sustainment Contracting Division, ACC-RI; Alexis Bribriesco, branch chief, EAGLE & Sustainment Contracting Division, ACC-RI; and Rachel Farwell, EAGLE requirements team lead, ASC, answered a multitude of questions that arose during the briefing.
The briefing outlined the EAGLE program to date, including the number of task orders that have been awarded, as well as the program's impact on small business. So far, 36 task orders have been awarded totaling $2.5 billion, with 74 percent of task orders and 39.5 percent of total dollars awarded to small businesses.
The briefing then steered to the future, particularly the EAGLE II planning schedule and associated timelines.
Changes in the BOA progress under EAGLE II were a hot topic, as this includes changes to past performance reporting and evaluation criteria, as well as new opportunities on teaming arrangements.
Discussion centered on the importance of industry suggestions in enhancing the BOA process. Fasko stressed that EAGLE has been small-business focused and she doesn't anticipate that changing.
"The program would not be where it's at today without these exchanges and without your honest feedback, and we won't be able to get better if we don't continue it," said Fasko.
Following the EAGLE session, ACC-RI and ASC personnel held a session on Logistics Civil Augmentation Program V in which Jerry Jastrab, portfolio manager, Logistics Management Services, ASC, Mark Mower, chief, LOCGAP Contracting Division, ACC-RI, and Brian Knutson, contracting officer, ACC-RI, briefed 107 contractor personnel from 80 companies, 30 of which were small businesses.
LOGCAP supports global contingencies by leveraging corporate assets to augment Army current and programmed force structure. It was established in the 1980s and is currently moving from the fourth to fifth iteration.
Though LOGCAP V is in a predecisional phase and is subject to change, government representatives did say they are looking at meeting global needs utilizing regional awards. With the fifth iteration of LOGCAP, the government is particularly interested in contractors that have an established a regional understanding and developed habitual relationships with appropriate parties within those regions, in order to respond faster.
Looking toward future operations, Jastrab referred to LOGCAP V as the "instrument of choice" for the Army. He also said LOGCAP will undergo an expansion on all phases of operations, including increased participation in exercises.
"You're going to see LOGCAP performing in places you don't see it performing today," said Jastrab.
On Nov. 16, ACC-RI hosted a day's worth of one-on-one sessions for industry members interested in EAGLE or LOGCAP. In all, 33 contractors met with EAGLE contracting representatives while LOGCAP contracting staff held 14 sessions.
Following two days of EAGLE- and LOGCAP-centric information, the remaining ACC-RI divisions provided briefings, answered questions, and held one-on-one sessions, during the third ACC-RI Industry Engagement Session, Nov. 17. According to the ACC-RI policy office, 92 companies as well as the Small Business Administration, General Services Administration and ASC staff attended the event.
John Lyle, deputy to the commander, Army Contracting Command, provided opening remarks and welcomed industry to the event, intended to disseminate information, exchange feedback and build rapport. Melanie Johnson, then-executive director, ACC-RI, provided opening comments and responses to questions from the audience.
Briefings included an overview on ACC-RI's new Public Forecast Report, by Adelaide Tkatch, chief, Contract Support Division, ACC-RI. Angela Williams, lead cost analyst, ACC-RI then provided tips on compiling a successful pricing package, and Greg Tetter, Competition Advocate/Ombudsman, ASC, gave a presentation on the functions he performs and responsibilities he has in working with ACC-RI.
A panel of ACC-RI's division chiefs wrapped up the engagement event with a question-and-answer session.
Social Sharing