REDSTONE ARSENAL, Alabama (May 26, 2023) – A contracting professional with Army Contracting Command-Redstone Arsenal received the 2022 Pricing and Contracting Legends Award from the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment’s Pricing and Contracting branch recently at the Pentagon.
Yvette Krasts, chief of ACC-Redstone Arsenal's pricing division, received the award that recognizes leaders at all levels in the Defense Department acquisition and contracting community who encourage others to be their best every day, in every situation, by developing, motivating, and inspiring others through formal and informal initiatives.
The award, established in 2013, is presented by the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment’s Pricing and Contracting branch annually to honor leaders at all levels within the Defense Department’s acquisition and contracting community who embody inspirational leadership and mentorship in execution of their duties. Krasts and co-recipient Milton Lewis, former Defense Logistics Agency Land and Maritime Acquistion Executive, were selected from a list of nominees as the individuals’ service leaders believe best exemplify the contracting wisdom and values characterized by esteemed leaders.
“Their commitment to the professional development and mentorship of the workforce, effective collaboration, and creative leadership, make them two of the most influential and respected leaders within the Department of Defense acquisition and contracting community,” said Defense Pricing and Contracting Principal Director John Tenaglia in a memo announcing their selection.
Krasts’ division is responsible for all the sole source price/cost evaluations on procurements valued at $100 million or more, and competitive price/cost evaluations valued at $250 million or more. Her leadership was vital to completion of 126 peer reviews, 43 pricing reports and over 35 other pricing assistance requests by 37 analysts in fiscal 2022. Her team assists and advises on some of the most challenging problem sets and was responsible for over additional 103 actions by the end of FY22.
In addition, the pricing division that she leads participated in four competitive boards with approximately 24 offerors and summary reports along with 50 subcontractor analyses valued at $11.8 billion. Each of these boards and negotiations required creative thinking and innovative problem solving. The total proposed sole-source procurement value evaluated and in-process in FY22 was approximately $53.8 billion. They participated in $11.7 billion of negotiated procurements in FY22 with a negotiated savings of $2.29 billion, or a savings of 19.5%.
She fosters an environment for developing positive relationships throughout the acquisition community. Her division teamed with Defense Contract Management Agency representatives to ensure continuity of performance-based payments, or PBP, evaluation and negotiations across Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control programs. Comprehensive PBP Training for Industry was delivered to Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control as well the respective Defense Contracting Management Office.
For Krasts, who holds a bachelor’s degree in business management and master’s of accountancy from the University of Alabama, it is more about taking care of the people she works with than anything else.
“For the people aspect, with the help of the pricing branch chiefs, we’ve elevated the ‘people-first’ mentality within the division,” said Krasts who is a native of Margate, Florida. “We’ve established processes and communications that highlight to the analysts the importance they bring to the division, and that we are one team and one pricing family.
“You learn nuggets of both good and not so good leadership styles throughout your career that help mold you into the leader you choose to become, Krasts added. “It’s awareness of what your team needs and being there to aid them in achieving their goals. Everyone has a desire to learn to keep improving both their own abilities, as well as the skills of their peers. We are all vested on continuous increased capabilities and processes to ensure we remain one of the best pricing shops in the DOD.”
“Yvette is truly deserving of this esteemed recognition,” said Mary Drayton, the ACC-Redstone Arsenal mission support directorate director and Krasts’ supervisor. “Her leadership has fostered an environment where her employees are empowered to support multiple stakeholders innovatively and creatively in an ever-evolving environment. The pricing division is a high-performing team of professionals dedicated to mission. What they do daily influences and shapes the future of Army contracting.”
About Army Contracting Command
The Army Contracting Command is headquartered at Redstone Arsenal, Alabama. From food and clothing to bullets and bombs; from tanks and trucks to boats and aircraft; from Soldiers' weapons to the installations where they work and live with their families, ACC ensures Soldiers have what they need to be successful. As the Army's principal buying agent, ACC supports Army readiness and modernization by using best practices and expert-level oversight to provide warfighters with premier contracting support. The command accomplishes its global operational missions with a professional workforce of Soldiers, Department of the Army civilians, foreign local nationals and contractors at more than 100 locations worldwide.
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