This award honors Ida Mae Ustad, Deputy Associate Administrator for Acquisition Policy in the Office of Governmentwide Policy, General Services Administration (GSA), who died November 29, 1999, in Rockville, Maryland. She earned a well-deserved reputation throughout the federal government and with private industry for providing expert acquisition and procurement advice.

Innovation Rewarded

The 2003 Ida Ustad Award for Excellence in Acquisition was presented to Special Operations Command Contracting Officer Charles E. Bright of MacDill Air Force Base, Florida. He is the contracting officer/team leader for providing contracting support to the United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) Program Executive Officer (PEO), Maritime and Rotary; and the PEO, Fixed Wing.

Innovation

Mr. Bright has made huge contributions directly supporting the global war on terrorism, but none more critical than the contract to equip the command's MH-53M helicopters with a desperately needed defensive system. USSOCOM's MH-53M helicopters are used for mid to deep-insertion missions and are subjected to the most hostile combat conditions imaginable. Mr. Bright responded by orchestrating USSOCOM's first-ever "two week" competition for an award of a letter contract for a $102 million requirement. His concept was brilliant, saving both time and money, but most importantly allowing USSOCOM's technical experts to quickly assess the capabilities of two proven manufacturers of Infra-Red Countermeasure (IRCM) Systems. This system will provide protection for aircrews and aircraft by locating hostile missiles tracking the craft and defeating their Infra-Red (IR), heat seeking tracking system with a concentrated IR beam. His concept and flawless execution precluded the need to award the "standard" sole source letter contract. Mr. Bright worked tirelessly to develop many "first-of-their-kind" documents and processes. His efforts included crafting a unique letter of solicitation, streamlined evaluation criteria, a template for contract terms and conditions, and a solid justification for limited competition. The solicitation was released within two working days after receiving a statement of objectives from the technical team. Mr. Bright then proceeded to field questions from the two interested contractors and was instrumental in our successful receipt of oral proposals only seven days after the solicitation was released. Considering the magnitude and complexity of the effort, $102 million, and incorporation of technologies only now maturing; just getting proposals in seven days was an astounding accomplishment. Mr. Bright's impressive efforts, however, did not stop there. He worked closely with the Program Manager to orchestrate what is likely the most compressed source selection process on record. In three grueling days the proposals were analyzed and a concise briefing was presented to the Source Selection Authority. In conclusion, the losing contractor wrote a letter to USSOCOM commending Mr. Bright's professionalism and fairness in conducting the competition--quite unheard of in today's environment.