VIRTUALLY EVERYWHERE


new stakeholders as part of the command’s realignment. Writing workshops also expanded under COVID-19, with the Professional Writing Workshop moving to a virtual environment to accommo- date 220 learners from the F-35 Joint Program Office, shifting from quarterly offerings to six weekly courses to meet the new demand.


FEDERAL RESPONSE TO COVID-19 PANDEMIC DAU faculty provided assisted acquisi- tion support to Operation Warp Speed, now known as


the Countermeasures


Acceleration Group, and the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment’s Joint Rapid Acquisi- tion Cell.


DAU faculty were embedded within the Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Defense’s


(JPEO-CBRND)


Joint Assisted Acquisition (JA2) team to provide program management, logistics and contracting expertise. Te DAU team worked within JPEO-CBRND to support Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) requirements to expedite the acquisitions for COVID-19 vaccines, therapeutics, enablers (syringes, needles, vials and swabs) and to expand domestic manufacturing to ensure the nation has a robust supply chain for medical counter- measures to battle future pandemics.


DAU provided virtual support in two phases. Te first was supporting JPEO- CBRND in leading a broad range of rapid assisted acquisition efforts in support of the interagency COVID-19 response— one of the largest DOD efforts in 2020. As the pandemic wore on, HHS iden- tified requirements


to support the


urgent response as well as longer-term preparedness and resilience. In March, JPEO-CBRND requested further DAU


52 Army AL&T Magazine Winter 2022


JPEO-CBRND and Army Contract- ing Command used existing authorities and innovative contacting approaches to accelerate access to nontraditional defense contracting for the federal COVID-19 response. “Within the JPEO, we quickly evaluated and leveraged the best acquisition strategy to accelerate the U.S. government’s ongoing COVID-19 response and pandemic preparedness,” said Gary Wright, the assistant joint program executive officer for assisted acquisition.


As part of this partnership, DAU operated under a support agreement with JPEO- CBRND. Under the leadership of the U.S. Army, DAU provided direct support as cross-functional experts.


As staff augmentees, DAU representatives provided critical bridge support to JPEO- CBRND and partner DOD agencies as their assisted-acquisition team transitioned


DAU demonstrated flexibility in mission assistance by providing a fully embed- ded cross-functional team to support DOD during a national crisis. A typical embed mission assistance provides subject matter expertise support and consulting to a DOD acquisition program. Tis mission assistance is one of the many ways that DAU is changing its approach to support- ing DOD. Te team was not only able to get contracts awarded for vaccine activi- ties, it also established repeatable processes for rapid acquisition and trained incom- ing personnel, ensuring JPEO-CBRND’s excellence in execution will endure.


AFTERMATH “Everyone came together to find out what we needed to change, and we all did our part,” Timmermann said. “We spent time every week delivering information on what courses were now available, what was canceled and—looking at the numbers— DAU excelled.”


assistance, and a new set of faculty experts was rapidly integrated into the JA2 team to address the emerging needs of the second phase.


to a more enduring capability. These actions continue to solidify DAU’s role in the DOD acquisition community and may help define new ways DAU can support DOD in the future.


DAU demonstrated flexibility in mission assistance by providing a fully embedded cross- functional team to support DOD during a national crisis.


In partnering with the JPEO-CBRND, DAU gained valuable insights on the current climate for rapid acquisitions and the training needs of today’s acqui- sition workforce. Tis will allow DAU to infuse new topics and continue to improve existing learning assets. A great exam- ple was the recent successful award of a $3.5 billion procurement and distribu- tion contract within 37 days, to meet the presidential requirement to provide half a billion Pfizer vaccines to low-income nations around the world. Te DAU team was instrumental to the accomplishment by supporting an interagency team under a new requirement owner, the U.S. Agency for International Development.


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