By Ashley Tolbert
FORT BELVOIR, Va.—Nominations for the Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Awards Program are now being accepted, with the nomination period scheduled to close May 31.
The awards, considered among the most prestigious given to the acquisition community, recognize the unique and significant contributions of the defense acquisition workforce, in line with the Better Buying Power (BBP) objective of improving the professionalism of the total acquisition workforce. “In the end, it is the quality of our people that matters the most, more so than any policy or regulation anyone can put in place,” Hon. Frank Kendall, undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics (USD(AT&L)), wrote in the 2013 memorandum outlining the implementation of BBP 2.0.
Awards are given in several categories. The Defense Acquisition Workforce Individual Achievement Award recognizes excellent performance in 18 acquisition functional categories by workforce members in acquiring products and services for DOD.
The Defense Acquisition Workforce Development Award recognizes field organizations for their excellence in creating a highly qualified and professional workforce. This year, the evaluation criteria include specific emphasis on how accomplishments contribute to achieving BBP objectives.
The David Packard Excellence in Acquisition Award recognizes organizations, groups or teams that have demonstrated exemplary innovation and best practices in acquisition. The evaluation criteria emphasize BBP efficiency initiatives, and as such, nominations should demonstrate the program management processes implementing these initiatives.
The Should Cost and Innovation Award honors organizations displaying outstanding commitment, innovation and results in should-cost management.
Each organization is allowed one nomination for each award category, and nominations must be endorsed by the head of your organization. Completed nomination packets must be sent through the proper command channels and must reach the U.S. Army Acquisition Support Center (USAASC) by midnight EDT on May 31, 2016.
USAASC will compile the nominations and submit them to senior leadership, who will then select and forward the Army submissions to the USD(AT&L) for consideration.
This year, USAASC is also accepting nominations for two additional awards:
The Secretary of Defense Product Support Manager (PSM) Award recognizes the PSM accomplishments and contributions toward achieving the goals outlined in BBP, such as controlling cost within affordability caps, promoting industry competition and innovation, and implementing effective product support strategies. The award honors outstanding PSMs in two categories: Major Defense Acquisition Programs/Major Acquisition Information Systems, Acquisition Category (ACAT) I PSMs; and Major Weapon System/Other Weapon Systems, ACAT II and below PSMs. Nominations for this award are due by midnight EDT on June 3, 2016.
The Secretary of Defense Performance-Based Logistics (PBL) Award recognizes organizations responsible for outstanding achievements in PBL development, implementation and execution. The awards honor outstanding PBL performance in three team categories: system level, subsystem level and component level. Nominations for this award are due by midnight EDT on June 24, 2016.
For more detailed instructions on each award and how to submit nominations, go to https://asc.army.mil/web/acquisition-awards/.Take some time to review the information, and make sure the Army’s people and programs get the recognition they deserve.
