FORT RILEY, Kan. -- Henry Jackson of the Supply and Services Division, Logistical Support Center, received the Contracting Officer Representative of the Quarter June 1 -- the first award of its kind. The Award was given at a brief ceremony by Col. Mary Drayton, commander of the 923rd Contracting Battalion, and director of the Mission and Installation Contracting Command-Fort Riley.
Jackson also earned the Department of the Army's Commander's Award for Civilian Service. The citation, awarded by Col. Eric P. Shirley, Commander, 407th Army Field Support Brigade, Fort Hood, Texas, was given by Larry Githerman, director of the LRC, on behalf of Shirley.
"We just started this last year," Drayton said. "Each one of our contracting officers and contract specialists provided names of individuals they felt did an outstanding job being a COR."
According to the Federal Acquisition Institute website, "CORs play a critical role in ensuring that contractors meet the commitment of their contracts. They ensure proper development of requirements and assist contracting officers in managing their contracts."
The FAI facilitates career development of the acquisition workforce for all services.
Drayton said that, since being a COR is an additional duty, a person might not put the needed emphasis on the requirements of the job that it requires. However, she added that the MICC takes the CORs' work seriously because they are the eyes and ears monitoring the performance of contractors.
"It helps us save money," Drayton said. "It helps us make sure that, if there is a contractor out there that's not performing (properly), that they are either terminated or informed they need to do a better job."
Drayton added that the ultimate beneficiaries of quality work by CORs are the warfighters who are receiving from contractors the kind of high-quality goods and services they need to fulfill mission requirements.
Along with his certificate, Jackson received a battalion coin and $250. In accepting the award, Jackson thanked God and his wife, Monica.
"She is my left- and right-hand person who supports me and gets me motivated," Jackson said. "But also I could not do this without my team and our leadership. The team here is very supportive in terms of us accomplishing everything that you get assigned to do."
Jackson's regular job is supporting the food service mission for the 1st Infantry Division Soldiers. He's been with the LRC since 2008, since Jackson's retirement as a food service noncommissioned officer, said Deborah Gray, director of the Supply and Services Division.
"He has always been a top performer here," Gray said. "He goes above and beyond trying to get things for the Soldiers."
One of the things Jackson is trying to do is develop a food truck program for Soldiers who can't get away to eat at a dining facility.
"He's always looking for ways to improve the food program," Gray said. "He just doesn't rest."
After the awarding of the COR of the Quarter, Drayton will focus on a transition at the MICC. She will leave in mid-July to take on a new command.
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