experience? Are any of these personnel warranted? What type of contract actions have they executed in the past, and what additional expertise is required?
A detailed analysis of the mission, opera- tional
location, duration, and available
resources will help the CCO prepare for the upcoming mission. Many consider- ations will influence how a CCO operates; however, the key to success is deciding what capabilities will be provided to customers.
DEFINING CAPABILITIES What is a capability? It is the quality of performing a specific function that is required, valued, or
important to an
internal or external customer. How can a capabilities-based approach be applied to establishing a contingency contracting office and to executing contracts during a contingency operation? In short, such an approach is concerned solely with what an office can do for customers: When a cus- tomer walks into a contracting office with a requirement, what can the CCO do for that customer? By viewing the office from the customer’s perspective, it is easier to decide what capability is required.
In general, most contracting offices pro- vide pre-award and post-award capability. The capabilities approach is a conceptual framework that not only addresses pre- award and post-award capability, but also helps CCOs structure the office and determine what additional capabilities to provide. When considering how to orga- nize a contingency contracting office, CCOs should consider the 10 capabilities in Figure 1. These are not all-inclusive list of required capabilities, but a starting point that allows CCOs to add additional capabilities as necessary.
THE PHYSICAL LAYOUT The next step is integrating these capa- bilities into a simple, efficient office layout.
CCOs typically approach establishing a contingency contracting office in an ad hoc fashion, with a focus on doing rather than thinking. CCOs
should focus on
providing specific contracting capabilities that are directly related and inextricably linked to the needs of the customer. Based upon U.S. Army Field Manual 4-92, Con- tracting Support Brigade, these are standard sections assigned to a contingency con- tracting battalion, including plans and policy, operations and requirements, and contract administration services.
Additionally, the layout demonstrates that the battalion has taken on the role of a regional contracting center (RCC) in a deployed location. The leadership and management of an RCC may con- sist of a director (a lieutenant colonel or major), a deputy director (a GS-14 in the 1102 series), and senior enlisted advisor or sergeant major (in Military Occupa- tional Specialty 51C). A brief functional description of capabilities, and their cor- responding sections or teams, follows:
Acquisition planning is provided by the operations and requirements section, in coordination with the contract admin- istration services section.
Pre-award procurement is provided by the construction, services, and com- modities teams.
Workload management is performed by the director and/or deputy director, in coordination with the construction, services, and commodities team leaders.
The operations NCO in charge pro- vides customer service, via a dedicated help desk located at the entry point, by rapidly engaging customers and direct- ing them to the appropriate section.
Information and data management is accomplished by arranging multiple tracking and status charts or boards that display information about the current operational picture, thereby ensuring
that the RCC maintains operational situational awareness.
The existing theater contracts and regional or local vendor base information capabilities provide real-time informa- tion for use in making business decisions.
Post-award contract administration, along with training for quality assur- ance personnel and contracting officer’s representatives, is performed by the contract administration services section.
Finally, the plans and policy section provides customer training on the pro- curement process and field ordering officer’s duties and responsibilities.
CONCLUSION The capabilities-based approach to estab- lishing a contingency contracting office is a customer-centered method that con- siders not only what the customer sees, but also what the customer can expect.
As long as the CCO conducts detailed planning, provides value-added capability, and integrates that capability into a simple structure, he or she will excel at helping customers fulfill their critical requirements.
For more information, contact LTC Myers at 210-295-6147/DSN 421-6147 or
vernon.myers@
us.army.mil. Or to
go the 916th Contingency Contracing
Battalion’s milBook site at https://www.
milsuite.mil /book/g roups /916th- contingency-contracting-battalion.
LTC VERNON L. MYERS is Commander of
the 916th Contingency
Contracting
Battalion, Fort Sam Houston, TX. He holds a B.S. in finance from Central State University and an M.S. in materiel acquisition management from the Florida Institute of Technology. Myers is Level III certified in contracting and in program management. He is a U.S. Army Acquisition Corps member.
ASC.ARMY.MIL 95
CONTRACTING
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148 |
Page 149 |
Page 150 |
Page 151 |
Page 152 |
Page 153 |
Page 154 |
Page 155 |
Page 156 |
Page 157 |
Page 158 |
Page 159 |
Page 160 |
Page 161 |
Page 162 |
Page 163 |
Page 164 |
Page 165 |
Page 166 |
Page 167 |
Page 168 |
Page 169 |
Page 170 |
Page 171 |
Page 172 |
Page 173 |
Page 174 |
Page 175 |
Page 176
