USACE Far East District Hosts First Reverse Industry Day

CAMP HUMPHREYS, South Korea — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers – Far East District (USACE FED) Contracting Division hosted its first Reverse Industry Day (FEDRID), Oct. 6, 2025, in Suwon, South Korea.

The event, known as FEDRID, brought together district leaders, prospective contractors and Korean industry representatives to exchange perspectives on modern design and construction methods, procurement practices and ways to reduce friction in the project-delivery pipeline.

“Today is about learning from you as we share new authorities and business processes to deliver projects that mirror commercial industry standards with a government twist,” said Jisun Kang, chief of the USACE FED Contracting Division.

Unlike a traditional industry day, where government agencies brief contractors on upcoming requirements and capabilities, this reverse format centered on feedback from industry partners. In previous years, the district co-hosted briefing-centric events with the Public Procurement Service and the 411th Contracting Support Brigade, where organizations presented capabilities and contractors learned about upcoming opportunities.

“Our purpose today is not to say that one approach is better than another,” said Kang. “Each approach has benefits, limitations and risks. The right choice depends on the project, the market and the government’s ability to manage the process.”

Kang noted that the inaugural event drew more than 250 attendees and was well received. The strong turnout demonstrated that sharing specific information on future acquisition pathways can significantly strengthen industry engagement.

“Today is an opportunity for us to listen and hear from you, learn from your experiences and identify practical ways to improve how we deliver the program together,” said Col. Margaret “Maggie” Maasberg, commander, USACE FED. “I want us thinking about how we can work differently together.”

The event supported a broader USACE effort to improve delivery of military construction, sustainment, restoration and modernization, and federal construction projects by reducing costs and accelerating timelines through Other Transaction Authority (OTA) and Progressive Design-Build (PDB). OTA can offer greater flexibility than traditional contracting processes governed by the Federal Acquisition Regulation. PDB is a two-phase delivery method designed to promote collaboration between the government and a single design-build team. Depending on the project and market conditions, the approaches may help reduce costs and shorten delivery timelines.

Korean firms also discussed innovative and sustainable construction practices they implement that could help address South Korea’s evolving infrastructure needs, with the possibility of FED adopting these practices.

District leadership is continuing preliminary discussions on how OTA and PDB could be used for future district projects. A key question asked during FEDRID is whether these approaches would enable or stifle innovation and creativity among contractors while supporting mission requirements.

“With cross-functional rehearsals, firm time control, and clear support roles, district employees kept the event on schedule and our messaging aligned. That structure focused the day on market intelligence and industry exchange,” said Lt. Col. Jason Supnet, military deputy to the chief of Contracting Division, USACE FED.

FEDRID attendees provided feedback on these alternative design and procurement methods. In turn, this will help inform the district’s acquisition planning and marketing intelligence research while strengthening collaboration amongst architect-engineer firms, prospective contractors and other stakeholders. District leadership is incorporating after-action feedback — including tighter question follow-up, better methods for capturing candid feedback and earlier disclosure of project requirements — into future outreach initiatives.

“The operational environment in which we operate is changing quickly, and we must be able to keep pace,” Maasberg said. “We have to find ways to deliver faster, more efficiently, and at less cost without compromising on the quality, safety, or mission outcomes our stakeholders depend on. We cannot do that alone.”