JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-FORT SAM HOUSTON, Texas -- (Jan. 9, 2017) Leaders from across the Mission and Installation Contracting Command took part in an acquisition leadership training event in December at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, Texas.
The ALTE allowed MICC officials to provide a mission-essential, professional and consolidated venue for leaders from the command's three contracting support brigades, field directorate office, and contracting offices and battalions at the installation level.
Hosted by Brig. Gen. Jeffrey Gabbert, the MICC commanding general, the ALTE included discussions on various procedures, policies and actions necessary to achieve the command's priorities as well as a senior leadership perspective on the impact of contracting.
"It's important that we have forums like this to encourage critical discussions and develop a better understanding of our priorities," Gabbert said. "The MICC is doing great things for our Army, and the innovative solutions put in place at the brigade, field directorate and installation levels are influencing higher headquarters."
The MICC commanding general emphasized it is essential that leaders from across the command communicate how their contract actions are nested with aligned activities they support and underpinned the Army's No. 1 priority.
"It's all about readiness. It's crucial that we have in place the necessary contract vehicles ensuring the vital training by the Training and Doctrine Command and personnel mechanisms for Human Resources Command that directly support our formations," Gabbert said. "Soldiers at the installation level need to have essential logistics and support to be ready when called upon."
The training event included both general sessions to provide leaders with updates on MICC operations and policies and breakouts designed to provide in-depth discussions at the senior level to improve or understand current policies and operations.
Guest speakers participating in both general and breakout sessions included the Army Contracting Command inspector general, and executive director for services acquisition at the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for procurement. Also addressing MICC leaders was Lt. Gen. Larry Wyche, the Army Materiel Command deputy commanding general, who spoke on leadership and the significance of contributions by MICC members to the warfighter.
"Don't ever take lightly the location that you're operating out of with regard to the impact that you're having on our Soldiers," Wyche said. "What you have done has had a direct impact on Soldiers saving Soldiers lives. I can say that, because I have been on the receiving end of it."
General session topics included Army Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention, equal employment opportunities related to reasonable accommodations, strategic sourcing and standardization, MICC Market Place, and the procurement administrative lead time metric. Also included were sessions on the Senior Rater Potential Evaluation and New Beginnings civilian performance system. Topics covered during breakout sessions included labor law, cost type contracts, contracting Soldier proponency, procurement operations trends, subcontracting limitations, and recruiting strategies.
Debbie Frankovich, the MICC-Fort Lee director, said that as the first quarter comes to a close, many of the directors are busy examining metrics and refining their direction to ensure a successful fiscal year.
"The acquisition leadership training event provided an excellent forum for MICC directors to come together, provide feedback to one another and war-game various ways to alter business practices to gain efficiencies," Frankovich said. "I personally found the ALTE to be very value-added, most notably General Wyche's inspirational words on the importance of leadership and the vital role MICC plays in supporting our Soldiers."
Gabbert concluded the training event by stressing the importance of support for the command's priorities to build the most optimal organization.
"I'm very encouraged by the growth I've seen in this command over the last year," he said of the business model architecture and standardization efforts put in place. "It's important to remember that we're part of a bigger team. We're a living organization operating in a complex acquisition environment influenced by Army decisions. We use our business acumen and our skills to build readiness for our Army."
Headquartered at JBSA-Fort Sam Houston, the MICC is made up of about 1,500 military and civilian members who are responsible for contracting good and services in support of Soldiers. In fiscal 2016, the command executed more than 32,000 contract actions valued at more than $4.6 billion across the Army, including $2.1 billion to American small businesses. The command also managed more than 585,000 Government Purchase Card Program transactions in fiscal 2016 valued at an additional $741 million.
Related Links:
Mission and Installation Contracting Command
Social Sharing