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News | June 26, 2019

DLA Distribution Industry Day Highlights Importance of Establishing and Maintaining Connections Between Civilian and Government Agencies

By LTC Edward Shank, USAR, DLA Distribution Public Affairs

Defense Logistics Agency Distribution held its second annual DLA Distribution Industry Day June 11-12 at the Susquehanna Club where an audience of 190 industry representatives from 71 companies participated in interactive briefings, facility tours and networking opportunities.

Briefings from DLA leaders and subject matter experts included a detailed explanation of the Industry Engagement Plan and Supplier Survey by DLA Deputy Director for Acquisition, Ms. Roxanne Banks, SES; an overview of DLA-specific procurement opportunities by the Office of Small Business Participation, representative Christopher Hall; a discussion of ethics and contract law considerations by DLA Distribution General Counsel; and a briefing entitled “How To Do Business with the Government” presented by Procurement Technical Assistance Center Distribution Operations Representative Robert Brown. For additional information on the supplier survey, please go to the survey landing page. Individual breakout sessions were also conducted by contracting officers, business development personnel, PTAC representatives and small business specialists.

In her opening remarks, DLA Distribution Deputy Commander, Ms. Twila Gonzales, SES, highlighted the importance of establishing and maintaining connections between civilian and government agencies. 

“Our relationship with [industry] is critical to the agency’s ability to successfully carry out its global mission as the nation’s combat logistics support agency,” said Gonzales. “It is through your support of this mission that we—both government and industry—jointly enable our warfighters to be prepared for immediate action on the battlefield.”

In addition to briefings, attendees were also given the opportunity to tour the Eastern Distribution Center warehouse, providing vendors with a sense of the large scale of operations performed at the facility.

As America’s combat logistics support agency, DLA’s stated mission is to provide best value integrated logistics solutions to the nation’s armed forces and other designated customers in peace and in war, around the clock, around the world.  DLA Distribution provides storage and distribution solutions/management, transportation planning/management, logistics planning and contingency operations via a global network of distribution centers. To support this, the agency issues supply and service contracts for storage and distribution, construction, material handling equipment & maintenance, janitorial services, and shipping/packaging supplies.

According to Gonzales, DLA Distribution Industry Day is her organization’s way of improving communication, increasing efficiency and building relationships with new partners.

“We’re doing all of this in an effort to provide improved support to the warfighter,” she said. “That is the reason we do what we do.”