PHILADELPHIA –
A contracting officer with the Industrial Hardware supply chain was named 2016 Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support Employee of the Year and received the DLA Superior Civilian Service Award June 6 for her contributions to acquiring hardware for critical systems across the Air Force.
Maliza Maldonado took on the management of bridging an Air Force industrial prime vendor contract for the bolts, nuts, screws, rivets and washers, also known as bench stock, needed to support three air logistics complexes at Ogden, Utah; Oklahoma City; and Warner Robins, Georgia.
“She was able to award the $43 million contract two weeks ahead of schedule with a smooth transition,” said Tina Piotrowski, deputy director of the industrial hardware supply chain.
Supporting the Air Force’s logistics complexes meant critical sustainment for the service’s most sophisticated weapons systems, including various aircraft and intercontinental ballistic missile systems.
“This required constant performance monitoring, communication with the customer, and coordination with the contracting officer representatives,” said Piotrowski. “The IPV contractor is responsible for providing approximately 88,000 different items in over 300,000 bin locations.
“[Maldonado] put in long hours, showed extreme dedication and a complete focus, going above and beyond in negotiating a fair price. She took it all on with professionalism and efficiency.”
Maldonado said it was an honor to be nominated, and even more humbling to be selected.
“It is gratifying to support the warfighter day in and day out; this is what motivates me in my career,” she explained. “I have to credit the entire team for their hard work and commitment. The IPV program is fortunate to have such a dedicated group of individuals to support the warfighter.”