Industry Professionals Help Design Acquisition Strategy

Source: Redstone Rocket Wed, 02/08/2012 By JASON CUTSHAW, SMDC/ARSTRAT Public Affairs

Members of the defense industry participated in the second Design, Development, Demonstration and Integration program and Test Execution Services and Launch Augmentation update on Jan. 24 at the Jackson Center in Research Park West.
 
Defense industry professionals learned more in depth about how the D3I program is utilized to conduct research for the development and procurement of hardware components and software solutions for space, high altitude, missile defense, information integration and data exploitation, as well as enhanced war fighter capabilities.

"We have been posting information and sharing information with industry as we go through the development process, and D3I helps speed that process along immensely," said Cathy Dickens, principal assistant responsible for contracting, Army Contracting Command-Redstone. "D3I allows us to receive feedback from industry on what we need to do to improve, how we can maximize competition and who is available to satisfy our needs when it comes to contracts.
 
"We have received great feedback from industry as we have developed this acquisition strategy. So what you see in this strategy is a recognition of our industry partners and what they can bring to the table and how we can minimize any deficiencies. Also, we have learned how we can stand by industry and help draw down costs and maximize performance to gain rapid turnaround with technology and support our war fighters as rapidly as possible, and that is our bottom line."
 
Hosting the event once again was the Jackson Center. The 13,000-square-foot facility hosts corporate events, government and industry conferences as well as educational and research training for groups of 500-700 people.
 
"We are pleased that D3I is hosting their industry day conference once again at Jackson Center," said Jerri Robinson, Jackson Conference Center director. "The success and growth of Jackson Center in 2011 was driven largely in-part by the government and industry market and we hope to see this growth continue in 2012.
 
"We are pleased to be able to support D3I by accommodating their budgetary requirements and providing services needed to make it successful."
 
The D3I program is used to implement programs including, but not limited to, Advanced Concept Technology Demonstrations, Advanced Technology Demonstrations and the Missile Defense Central Test and Evaluation Investment Program. D3I provides SMDC and its customers with the ability to procure a broad range of missile defense, space and other applicable war fighter solutions in support of developmental and operational requirements.
 
"D3I is an avenue that will allow us to streamline the time it takes us to field equipment for the war fighter," Tom Webber, SMDC Technical Center deputy director, said. "We now have a method to have equipment go from ‘cradle to grave,’ and get the technology to our Soldiers quicker.
 
"Today is an opportunity for industry to learn the best submission process for achieving success in competition and what we are looking for in the future," he added. "We want to make sure everyone has the same information and knows the proper channels to go through for success."
 
The program includes providing anticipated solutions to include design, development, demonstration and integration of future capabilities. These efforts follow an evolutionary development of systems focused on a "Concept to Combat" philosophy which begins from design phase and ends when the system is in the hands of the war fighter.
 
"We are focusing everything we do on supporting our forces," Dr. Jack Tomkovich, SMDC Future Warfare Center operations chief, said. "Contracts are critical for us to continue providing services and our technical edge to our troops and one thing we have learned is that the smoother the process goes here, the quicker our troops get what they need."
 
D3I not only supports SMDC and Redstone Arsenal, but all branches of the U.S. military, NASA, the Department of Energy, allies and other government agencies in mission requirements related to space, high altitude, missile defense, ground systems, information integration and data exploitation and enhanced war fighter capabilities.
 
"These economic times are driving us to be more focused on streamlining the process in which we acquire technology and we hope this year we can learn more ways to accomplish that," Dickens said. "If today is like last year’s D3I day, I am sure we will do just that."