DEFENSE COMMISSARY AGENCY BECOMES ONE OF THE FIRST GOVERNMENT AGENCIES TO BE PERFORMANCE BASED
Secretary of Defense William J. Perry today heralded the
Defense Commissary Agency as one of the federal government's
first performance based organizations.
In formal ceremonies held in the Navy Memorial Foundation
Auditorium, Washington, D.C., Fred Pang, assistant secretary of
Defense for Force Management Policy, represented Secretary Perry
in making the formal announcement.
The Department of Defense chose DeCA to be its first PBO
because it is customer oriented and has demonstrated its
potential for progressive management. DeCA operates 309 military
grocery stores worldwide. By selling groceries at over a 25
percent savings, it provides an expected and valued part of the
military compensation package.
As a PBO, DeCA will adopt the best characteristics of
private business. This includes seeking waivers and legislation
that will streamline buying and accounting practices, reduce
costs of necessary services, and streamline personnel services.
The PBO concept meets Vice President Gore's goal for government
that works better and costs less, while sustaining and enhancing
the commissary benefit.
The ceremony also recognized the worldwide inauguration of
the SAVER 2000 program, which signifies DeCA's commitment to "a
new century of value and service." SAVER stands for Service,
Access, Value, Efficiency and Response. Three commissary
employees also received World Class Customer Service awards for
exemplifying the agency's high standards in customer service.
