More than 500 federal employees and military personnel today
shared the Heroes of Reinvention Hammer Award from the National
Performance Review for achievements in
acquisition reform. The
National Performance Review, established in early 1993 and headed
by Vice President Al Gore, seeks to reinvent government by
streamlining bureaucracy for a more efficient and less expensive
government.
"This award recognizes outstanding, ground-breaking work on
an issue of vital importance: our future ability to supply the
best value goods and services to our forces with the most
efficient use of our resources. The key to this goal is
acquisition reform and the award is another sign that we are
making acquisition reform a reality," Secretary of Defense
William J. Perry said during award ceremonies at Fort Myer, Va.
Secretary Perry presented the award, on behalf of the Vice
President, to members of 13 teams. The teams worked a broad
range of acquisition reform issues including streamlining
acquisition regulations, establishing a DoD-wide electronic
commerce initiative, and reducing defense-unique industrial
specifications.
Award recipients included members from the Department of
Defense, State Department, Department of Transportation,
Department of Energy, Department of Health and Human Resources,
Office of Federal Procurement Policy, U.S. Court of Appeals (6th
Circuit), General Accounting Office, General Services Agency,
U.S. Coast Guard, and all four military services.
Many of the teams' recommendations came from the bottom up,
and were not imposed from the top down. It's why acquisition
reform is working. They were assembled for an intense period of
work, made recommendations, and are now reviewing the
implementation of the their recommendations, said Deputy Under
Secretary of Defense for Acquisition Reform Colleen A. Preston.
The teams facilitated overall DoD acquisition reform
efforts, including streamlining federal and defense-unique
acquisition regulations necessary to implement statutory change;
re-engineering specific acquisition processes; developing and
implementing the DoD-wide electronic commerce strategy; reducing
defense-unique product specifications; improving
contract administration and streamlining acquisition oversight.
Secretary Perry presented awards to the following teams:
For facilitating acquisition reform: Office of the Deputy
Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition Reform. Principal
team leader is Colleen Preston.
For streamlining regulations: Federal Acquisition
Streamlining Act, Federal Acquisition Regulations, and Defense-
Unique Provision Drafting Teams. Team leaders are Navy Capt.
Barry L. Cohen (since retired), and Edward C. Loeb, General
Services Administration.
For developing a DoD-wide electronic commerce strategy:
Electronic Commerce/Electronic Data Interchange in Contracting
Process Action Team. Team leader is Delores Dee Smith, Office
of the Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition Reform.
For reducing military specifications and standards:
Military Specifications and Standards Process Action Team. Team
leader is Darold Griffin, Army Materiel Command (since retired).
For improving contract administration: Contract
Administration Process Action Team. Team leader is Dr. Blair A.
Peterson.
For streamlining procurement process reform: Procurement
Process Reform Process Action Team. Team leader is Robert
Rumberger, U.S. Navy.
For reducing acquisition systems oversight and review:
Acquisition Systems Oversight and Review Process Action Team.
Team leader is Army Brig. Gen. John Caldwell, Jr.
For communications reform initiatives to the workforce:
Communications and Outreach Process Action Team. Team leader is
Ms. Janice Menker, Office of the Deputy Under Secretary of
Defense for Acquisition Reform.
For reducing regulatory cost: DoD Regulatory Cost Premium
Group. Group leader is William E. Mounts, Office of the Deputy
Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition Reform.
For acquisition pilot programs using commercial practices:
Defense Acquisition Pilot Program Working Groups. Team leader is
Richard Sylvester, Office of the Deputy Under Secretary of
Defense for Acquisition Reform.
For revising protest reform: DoD Protest Reform Working
Group. Team leader is Theresa Squillacote, Office of the Deputy
Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition Reform.
For establishing process improvement metrics: Strategic
Outcome Metrics Team. Team leader is Army Col. Stanley Leja.
For improving automation of acquisition information:
Automated Acquisition Information Team. Team leader is Air Force
Lt. Col. Dave London.
