Richmond, Virginia –
Defense Logistics Agency Aviation’s Acquisition Executive and Head of Contracting Activity Cathy Contreras hosted the Senior Procurement Executive Aviation Review, Aug. 1 – 2, in Richmond, Virginia.
The SPE event has been held biannually since June 2015 as a venue where leadership can share information, evaluate and track the health, successes, and upcoming challenges of DLA Aviation’s procurement organization.
DLA’s Acquisition Director Matthew Beebe attended the event and DLA Aviation’s leadership briefed him on strategic outlook items, operational and depot-level repairable executions, acquisition workforce development, certifications and delinquencies, the warrant program which establishes standards for selection and management of contracting officers, contract quality review and unliquidated obligations, which are account payable items ordered or received but not yet paid for.
Topics also included: portfolio reviews on contracting activities, program oversight strategies, pricing, competition, systems support, the small business program and implementation. The event also served as a venue to provide feedback from the chiefs of the contract offices and contracting officer supervisors to DLA leadership.
Beebe emphasized the importance of increasing supplier engagement and communicating expectations with suppliers, understanding industrial capabilities and vulnerabilities, assessing risks and future uncertainties - while always keeping the focus on readiness.