WORKFORCE
RIGHT AT HOME
The author shows her children one of DIU’s high-tech independent teleconference booths during a visit from her family to the DIU facility in Mountain View. (Photo courtesy of the author)
NOT A CUBICLE IN SIGHT
With its largely open floor plan, the choice of where to work, and high-tech amenities such as noiseproof telephone booths with USB ports and wall outlets, DIU’s setup differs greatly from a typical federal office. (Photo courtesy of the author)
under other-transaction authority to best- of-breed commercial companies that may otherwise not work with DOD. (See “Multiple paths to ‘rapid.’ ”)
Te entire process of writing the terms and conditions, determination and find- ings documents, and issuing the letter of contemplation—a narrative of the intent—took less than 45 days. Tis option was as an extremely cost-effective method, providing the government with the oppor- tunity to purchase small quantities of newly developed commercial off-the-shelf technology to be tested for suitability and reliability. At DIU, we coordinated tele- conferences with pathology departments at military hospitals to find participants for this experiment. It all gave me a sense of achievement that I was contributing to a very important project at DIU.
But we were having fun, too.
On the last Tursday of each month, the DIU team went to NASA Ames Research Center’s Space Bar for drinks and networking, and one Friday we went to a cafe in Shoreline Park near the Google- plex, Google’s corporate headquarters. On that particular Friday, I realized that
my time at DIU was ending in just one short month.
HEADING FOR HOME Tat morning, I had noticed that one of the solicitations related to the cybersecu- rity portfolio was closing, so I approached David, the acquisition pathways direc- tor, and asked to participate in the source selection. I was stepping out of my comfort zone, but as I neared the end of my time at DIU, I wanted to get as much hands-on experience as possible with the commer- cial solutions opening.
David agreed, and for a week, I helped vet solution briefs against the criteria stated in the offering, sending out the merit proposals and inviting the vendors for an in-person pitch to the DIU team. I also provided support to complete evaluation forms and write non-selection letters for those who didn’t make the cut, while also helping develop the statement of work with the winner and DOD customer to submit it for a full written proposal. During the entire process, from advertising the areas of interest on the DIU website through the request for proposals, the contracting team worked hand in hand with DIU to ensure that the timeline did not exceed 120 days.
I wished that I had enough time at DIU to witness the award of the project, but my assignment came to a close before that happened. I had felt like I was working in the most enriched environment I’d ever experienced. Every day was an opportu- nity to learn something valuable.
It was a bittersweet moment when I left DIU on Aug. 16—bitter because it was my last day at DIU, and sweet that I was going home to a reunion with my family.
For more information on DIU, go to
https://diu.mil/. For more information on USAMMDA, go to
https://www.usam-
mda.army.mil/.
RAJAL GANATRA is a DA civilian working as an assistant product manager at USAMMDA at Fort Detrick. She holds an M.S. in biotechnology from the University of Maryland University College and a B.S. in chemical engineering from Dharamsinh Desai University. A member of the Army Acquisition Corps, she is Level III certified in systems engineering and Level II certified in program management.
https://asc.ar my.mil
89
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
