that we do not repeat our mistakes or waste taxpayers’ dollars.
It all boils down to training. In the-
ater, contracting officer’s representatives (CORs) are the contracting officers’ eyes and ears on the front lines. When we first hit the ground, proper contract oversight was lacking. As operations continued, we stepped up our game by providing much better pre-deployment training. Previ- ous years saw COR responsibilities being added as an additional duty for Soldiers. Later, operational
commanders recog-
nized the COR’s role and the importance of contract oversight, and supported the process by providing dedicated CORs to oversee their contracts.
‘SPOT’ ON ACCOUNTABILITY We also made tremendous improvements in contractor accountability. Contractors are part of the total force—we depend on them for all of our life support require- ments. We must account for them in all phases of the operation and communi- cate with them so they are made aware of changes in the operation and adjust accordingly.
In the early years of the wars, contrac- tor accountability was sporadic—almost nonexistent, one could say. Te Synchro- nized Predeployment and Operational Tracker (SPOT) helped us get a much better handle on our contractor popula- tion. SPOT, a Web-based system, is the central data repository for contractors deploying with the force; it holds con- tract capability information for use by federal contractors, government agencies and the military. It and other tools allow us to verify a person’s identity in theater, track the person’s movements and provide theater commanders up-to-date visibility into contractor assets and capabilities. We also put new policies in place to look for prime contractors and subcontractors
who might be engaging in human traf- ficking or aiding our enemies.
After three deployments, two in Iraq and a final deployment in Afghanistan, where I served as commander of U.S. Central Command’s Joint Teater Support Con- tracting Command (C-JTSCC), l can proudly say that the acquisition work- force emerged as a leaner, more qualified, better-trained, more efficient and more valued workforce than when we headed into these conflicts more than a decade earlier. We learned that our personnel must have the proper contracting skills and that contractor oversight must not be an afterthought.
During my year in Afghanistan, I saw many of our processes and policies put
to work as we began the drawdown. Our deployed acquisition personnel had the tools in their rucksack to execute high- quality contract actions in support of the warfighter. We developed our acquisi- tion workforce into a highly professional, skilled cadre of men and women, both civilian and military, who understand contingency contracting.
CONCLUSION We must continue to improve because our future contingencies may take place in different environments under different conditions. For example, in the sum- mer of 2014, we deployed a contracting support brigade to establish secure and disease-free troop life support areas and construct Ebola treatment centers in sup- port of Operation United Assistance. Our
OPERATIONAL SUPPORT
From left, 1LT Jake J. Chaput of the 1st Cavalry Division (1st CAV), CPT William Bass, contracting officer with the 928th Contingency Contracting Battalion (CCBn), and LTC Kelsey A. Smith of the 1st CAV review emerging life support requirements in Latvia in support of Operation Atlantic Resolve in fall 2014. Operation Atlantic Resolve, led by U.S. Army Europe, is an exercise that demonstrates a commitment to the collective security of NATO allies in light of the ongoing Russian intervention in Ukraine. Soldiers from the 928th CCBn, based in Grafenwoehr, Germany, supported the 1st CAV’s 1st Brigade Combat Team by conducting quality assurance of active contracts. (Photo by SSG Jonathan Robbins, 928th CCBn)
ASC.ARMY.MIL
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CONTRACTING
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