Patrick Plummer, front row, center, joins representatives from Fort Belvoir who attended a two-day class for Contracting Officer Representatives, with another 55 joining online from nearby garrisons to boost contracting literacy and learn best practices for IMCOM and ID-S contracts.
Fort Belvoir Resource Management Hosts pilot training for CMSOs, CORs across the Capital Region
Coming on board Fort Belvoir, Patrick Plummer, the Contract Management Support Officer, realized the need for deeper knowledge by the Contracting Officer Representatives (CORs) he supervised. So, he coordinated with lnstallation Management Command (IMCOM) Sustainment (ID-S) at Redstone Arsenal to boost contracting literacy.
Mr. Stanley Brown and Ms. Marella Akridge, from Redstone Arsenal, obliged by helping him set up a hybrid training session Aug 29 and 30 at Fort Belvoir, with the assistance from Ms. Glenda Payne, DHR Administration Assistance and DHR I.T. Specialist. As a first, it was decided to maximize efficiency and expand its effectiveness by extending class participation via MS Teams to other MDW Garrison CORs and supervisors from Fort Meade, Fort Walker, Joint Base Meyer-Henderson Hall, and Fort Detrick.
“I wanted to do a four-day class, but folks said that was too much time,” Plummer told the Belvoir Eagle, agreeing that two days of instruction would be a good start. “I plan to have more classes in the future to follow up on practices learned in the first session – so this first class was just an introduction,” he said.
Plummer noted that the training was specific to contracting with IMCOM.
“I wanted the personnel to understand that the relationship we had as a garrison when it comes to contracting with ID-S and with IMCOM, because when they receive online training, much of what they learned had little to do with their day-to-day processes. Now I understand what they need to succeed with their contracts.”
Plummer said he was pleased with the both the
To underscore the importance of these roles, U.S. Army Criminal Investigative Division held talks on waste, fraud, and abuse, as well as the numerous ethical considerations in federal contracting. The course also provided non-contracting personnel with knowledge of the Federal acquisition process as well as the knowledge, skills, and core technical competencies to execute their responsibilities as a representative of the contracting officer.
Pete Green, with ID-S Public Works, outlined the hallmarks of a successful Public Works Performance Work Statement (PWS), and how to best evaluate Independent Government Cost Estimates (IGCE).
The classes also created a lot of interactions among presenters, CORs and supervisors when sharing best practices and lessons learned.
“This hasn’t been done before,” Plummer said, but admitted participants were pleased with the resulting collaboration. “This class was a good first start.”
With so many garrison directorates having to do more with less, it’s good to know that Resource Management teams will be there to ensure every dollar is properly allocated.
Paul Lara, Public Affairs Specialist