WHEELER ARMY AIRFIELD, Hawaii (June 28, 2023) – Members of the 921st Contracting Battalion teamed with the 1st Marine Expeditionary Contracting Platoon to inform approximately 90 businesses on how they can compete for U.S. government contracts recently at Koror, Palau.
U.S. Embassy, Koror personnel and Lt. Col. Amanda Owens of U.S. Army Pacific’s Oceania engagement team coordinated with the staff at Palau Community College to make the event possible.
Palau, an island country in the western Pacific Ocean, lies in the southwest corner of Micronesia with Guam 830 miles to the northeast, New Guinea 400 miles to the south, and the Philippines 550 miles to the west. The Republic of Palau officially became a sovereign state on Oct. 1, 1994.
“An event like this had not been held in more than three years in Palau,” said Marine Gunnery Sgt. Justin Morales, a senior contracting officer for 1st Expeditionary Contracting Platoon.
Educating vendors on how to do business with the United States government in any area of military operations helps develop the marketplace. A developed market is vital to ensuring that warfighters have the resources required and there is enough competition to attain goods and services at the best value to the United States government.
In addition to ensuring that warfighter needs are met, vendor education helps to build strategic relationships and assist partner nations while expanding economic opportunities. Local Palauan vendors were informed on the contracting process, upcoming government requirements, vendor selection process, the contract payment process, and contracting ethics. Understanding the contracting process and terms will provide a stable and better educated vendor base for future exercises to be conducted in Palau.
The 921st CBN is headquartered at Wheeler Army Airfield, Hawaii, and the unit’s primary mission is to provide contracting support to 25th Infantry Division, 8th Theater Sustainment Command, and aligned forces, advancing tactical priorities throughout the U.S. Army Pacific area of responsibility.
About Army Contracting Command
The Army Contracting Command’s headquarters is 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 from foxhole to factory. 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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