BUSINESS AS USUAL
On-the-job training is an essential part of the package for any new hire, but if they happen to have a well-rounded assortment of work experience, it’s a bonus.
An active-duty Soldier since February 2015, Staff Sgt. Abhiram Palivela joined the Army Acquisition Workforce just one year ago as a contract specialist with the 928th Contracting Battalion, stationed in Grafenwohr (Bavaria, Germany). He may be relatively new to Army acquisition but, for him, preparing contracts really isn’t anything new.
Before joining the Army, Palivela was the owner of an Indian restaurant, Tulasi Kitchen, in Madison, Wisconsin for two years. He’s familiar with small business contracts, but said he was always intrigued by the “big Army contracting” world.
STAFF SGT. ABHIRAM PALIVELA
COMMAND/ORGANIZATION: 928th Contracting Battalion
TITLE: Contract specialist YEARS OF SERVICE IN WORKFORCE: 1 YEARS OF MILITARY SERVICE: 7
DAWIA CERTIFICATIONS: DOD contracting professional
EDUCATION: M.S. in engineering manage- ment, Syracuse University; B.E. in electronics and communications, Sathyabama University
AWARDS: Army Commendation Medal (3rd award); Army Achievement Medal (6th award); Army Good Conduct Medal (2nd award); National Defense Service Medal; Global War on Terrorism Service Medal; Armed Forces Service Medal; Non-Commissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon; Army Service Ribbon; Certificate of Achievement (3rd Certificate); Driver and Mechanic Badge and Marksman- ship Qualification Badge–with Carbine
Palivela said that his primary focus is writing contracts for supply buys, services and executing task orders against existing service contracts. “Everything we do has a greater impact on the Army or warfighter as it is focused towards equipping the warfighter with what they need to win wars, such as basic life support that includes …transportation, food, latrines, showers, etc.”
Outside of work, he said, people are intrigued by the different aspects of his job, and the questions they have about his role typically vary—depending on the person and level of interest—but he said mainly they’re curious about “the different kinds of military contracts and the money involved.”
Palivela began his career as a software engineer, technical lead for Dean Health Plan, Inc. (a healthcare insurance company) in Madison, Wisconsin, where he worked for four years providing analysis, design, development and implementation, test- ing and support for data warehousing applications. Ten, as an active duty Soldier, just before joining the acquisition workforce as contract specialist, Palivela served as practice manager at Stuttgart Dental Clinic Command, Germany for two years.
Trough these diversified career choices, Palivela acquired an abundance of knowl- edge about how different types of businesses function and operate—valuable experience that he can apply to any role he takes on.
He said that most people know him as a “software engineer” given his industry soft- ware experience. And that compared to Army acquisition, “the software field is more of thinking outside the box, building an innovative code from scratch to develop a specific application, whereas the acquisition field is more streamlined with defined federal regulations which require us to strictly abide by the rules and regulations set in place to do any type of contract.”
Palivela grew up in Hyderabad, India, and came to the United States in Aug. 2009 to obtain a master’s degree from Syracuse University. He then joined the
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Army AL&T Magazine
Spring 2022
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