DOHA, Qatar -- Army and Air Force contracting offices joined forces to host the first-ever Joint Industry Day.
Joint force contracting experts met with vendors and business professionals from across the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility in an effort to expand the vendor base, educate industry executives and provide insight into contracting processes, according to Lt. Col. Leon L. Rogers II, commander and director of contracting, Regional Contracting Center-Qatar.
RCC-QA is a 408th Contracting Support Brigade unit stationed at Camp As Sayliyah, Qatar. RCC-QA co-hosted the industry day with the Air Force's 379th Expeditionary Contracting Squadron, Al Udeid Air Base.
Rogers said the event served as an opportunity to directly support the CENTCOM commander's priorities, specifically "extending influence, and improving our position and way of life" and "maintain a capable and agile force."
During his opening remarks to the vendors, Rogers emphasized the importance of transparency and improving efficiencies within current Defense Department contracting systems. He also attributed the success of defense contracting efforts in the CENTCOM theater to business leaders and industry professionals, such as the hundred plus who were in attendance.
The event covered multiple topics from Wide Area Work Flow to Joint Contingency Contracting System registration, how solicitations operate, to how bids and proposals are evaluated for award, even emphasizing the DOD zero-tolerance policy for Combat Trafficking in Persons violations. Industry partners were able to understand upcoming opportunities that range from micro, expedited Government Purchase Card executions to multi-million dollar contracts spanning up to five years. Also included in the agenda was a panel discussion providing industry the opportunity to address the United States government with their concerns as a means to maximize collective efforts and improve business relationships.
Overall, the Joint Industry Day was a phenomenal success, according to Rogers. He said future events will focus on continuing to "strengthen alliances and attract new partners that will improve the way we do business, including how we implement our top priorities to make ourselves more capable and efficient."
The conference also served as a venue for industry partners to highlight their abilities and will to assist the Area Support Group-Qatar as the command transitions two U.S. Army sites from expeditionary to enduring locations. The engagements and presentations facilitated by this event developed a space for positive, impactful relationship-building activities, aimed towards assisting ASG-QA in improving its current position within the operating environment while continuing to build partnership capacity with the Qatari Armed Forces.
The ASG-QA provides protection, sustainment, and support to U.S. Army units within Qatar who are responsible for a multitude of projected sustainment effects throughout CENTCOM. Within Qatar, ASG-QA provides life support and U.S.C. Title 10 funding to support more than 2,200 U.S. Soldiers, Army Civilians and contractors. External to Qatar, ASG-QA provides property book office support, food management oversight, and resource management support to rotational air defense artillery and special operations forces operating throughout the area. ASG-QA requires assistance from a robust vendor base to provide depth in coverage to enable ASG-QA to continue providing sustaining support for ongoing operations and activities within the region.
RCC-QA provides effective and responsive theater support and administrative contracting services to enable and support the readiness of the Total Force operating in Southwest Asia. RCC-QA provides contracting support of troops located in Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Afghanistan which provides contracting support to the US Forces-Afghanistan, Combined Security Transition Command-Afghanistan, Special Operations Joint Task Force-Afghanistan and other CENTCOM units.
RCC-QA is one of three centers within the 408th CSB and supports ACC-Afghanistan with reach back commodity capability. RCC-QA's fiscal year 2018 contracting portfolio consists of an estimate of 1,200 contracting actions, totaling $170 million that supports the warfighter throughout the CENTCOM theater.
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