A REWARDING EXPERIENCE
When I began my fellowship, I did not know what to expect, but my sponsor, Craig Whitten, the director of managed services and OCONUS (outside of the continental United States) support, provided a list of business development objectives for me to achieve. I used these objectives to create a dashboard to moni- tor my monthly progress. Each month, I updated and reviewed my dashboard of objectives to ensure I remained on track. My focus areas included contracting, subcontracting, growth and additional professional development opportunities.
During my rotation with GDIT’s Contract Division, I was able to attend weekly meetings and observe the team as they vetted ques- tions that would be sent to the government in response to multiple requests for proposal, or RFPs. It was interesting to watch the team compare the government’s contract data requirement list to their statement of work. Based on the number of inaccuracies or discrepancies in the documents, the Contract Division would decide whether to bid on proposals. Tis technique helped GDIT reduce potential risk. During future assignments, my goal is to ensure that the government takes pride in ensuring the contract data requirements lists and the statements of work are accurate, so we won’t lose potential offerors.
Working with GDIT’s Defense Subcontracts Division was also rewarding. I shadowed Lance Smith, a subcontracts administra- tor, and he provided a course on GDIT’s process of executing nondisclosure agreements (NDAs) and teaming agreements. GDIT’s NDAs and teaming agreements are used when there is a need to hold specific discussions about the company’s propri- etary information, or what many companies call their “secret sauce.” Additionally, Smith allowed me to observe the execution of an ongoing NDA from start to finish. During this process, I learned that GDIT has standard NDAs and teaming agreements that are distributed to subcontractors who would like to part- ner with the company. Although GDIT’s NDAs and teaming agreements are standard, companies can request changes, which may or may not be approved by GDIT’s legal team. Tis benefits the government because it could provide insight into an offeror’s ability to perform potential work.
Despite these great insights, I believe my time with GDIT’s Growth Division was the most beneficial of all. Te Growth Division provides services, solutions and outcomes to win bids, while simultaneously proving to customers that they can deliver with little to no risk. I worked with Joseph Bartasius, the defense growth business development director, and watched as he expanded GDIT’s business to generate additional profits. He shared many tactics, techniques and tools used to accomplish
124 Army AL&T Magazine Fall 2023
STRONG OBJECTIVES
From left, Garrett Yee, Maj. Gen., USA (Ret.), vice president and general manager at GDIT; James and Craig Whitten, met in September 2022, in Falls Church. Yee and Whitten provided objectives for James to focus on and insight on ways the government and industry can work together to create stronger relationships.
his mission. Tis was particularly interesting because several of GDIT’s growth functions and methodologies are similar to tech- niques I used while serving in U.S. Army Recruiting Command. Tese included performing intelligence and market analysis, lead generation, prospecting, interviewing and processing customers and targeting. Te knowledge I gained was beneficial, and now I have a better understanding of how defense contractors study the needs of the DOD and analyze market trends to develop a strategic process that helps their organization grow.
WIN-WIN EXPERIENCE Troughout this experience, I was fortunate to receive mentor- ship from GDIT’s senior executives, develop strong relationships with GDIT’s employees, participate in employee resource groups, or ERGs, participate in industry day events, witness a govern- ment accountability test and share lessons learned with other TWI fellows. I believe my greatest contribution was showing up prepared with a positive attitude, and ready to learn. I assisted
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