James Greer is the co-developer and manager of the Acquisition Workflow Approval Routing Efficiency (AWARE) program at the Internal Revenue Service. The AWARE program is an advanced automated workflow program designed to support the Office of the Chief Procurement Officer in its mission to modernize and streamline the acquisition lifecycle process. AWARE’s capabilities include pre-population and document generation, tracking of timelines, a shared workspace, PALT capture, and dashboards. By leveraging AWARE, James has significantly enhanced the efficiency and effectiveness of procurement operations while reducing the burden on the acquisition workforce. Visit FAI.gov to learn more about James' award.

Bonnie Evangelista and the Tradewind Solutions Marketplace (TSM) team have allowed the Department of Defense to maintain a competitive advantage in a highly dynamic threat landscape by creating and offering acquisition solutions that can deliver capabilities at speeds never realized before. As a result, the team focused on building an environment that creates significantly low barriers to entry, enables fast-tracked assessments of solutions, removes excessively burdensome submission requirements, and provides optimal flexibility to develop contract strategies that support a wide range of acquisitions, including non-federal acquisition regulation-based procurements. TSM is closing the gap between government buyers with mission problems and industry solution providers that have high-impact tech solutions. Visit FAI.gov to learn more about the Tradewind Solutions Marketplace team's award. 

When the President signed Executive Order 13985: Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government, Darlene Bullock of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) realized there was a need for internal education (in-reach) to the DHS acquisition community and increased outreach to small businesses to include underserved groups. In addition to conducting vendor outreach sessions, Ms. Bullock created vendor outreach matchmaking events (VOME), which are unique to DHS. VOMEs creates opportunities for small businesses, at no cost, in all regions of the country that would possibly never be able to interface with the other company participants, to discuss potential partnering opportunities. Ms. Bullock’s leadership, in-reach, and outreach efforts resulted in the department’s 14th consecutive grade of A or higher on the Small Business Administration Procurement Scorecard. Fiscal year 2022 also marked the seventh grade of A+ since fiscal year 2016. Visit FAI.gov to learn more about Darlene's award. 

The Department of the Interior (DOI) is committed to increasing opportunities for Indian Small Business Economic Enterprises (ISBEEs). The Buy Indian Act authorizes DOI to set aside requirements for Indian-owned businesses. While the Indian Affairs (IA) Acquisition Office is required to use the Buy Indian Act procurement procedures and set aside for ISBEEs, the authority is optional for other DOI bureaus. The IA Office developed bureau-tailored strategies to increase the usage of the Act’s set-aside authority, facilitated the revision of both HHS and DOI FAR supplements in fiscal year 2022 to increase and expand usage of the Buy Indian Act, designed and published web-based Buy Indian Act training, and developed nine new department-wide dashboards for conceptualizing previously unmanageable amounts of acquisition and financial data, enabling leadership to make data-driven decisions. Visit FAI.gov to learn more about the Indian Affairs Acquisition Office's award. 

Mouncef Belcaid, Peggy O'Connor, and team helped the FirstNet Authority meet formidable challenges when the FirstNet Authority awarded the Nationwide Public Safety Broadband Network (NPSBN) Task Order 4 in 2018. Valued at multi-billion dollars, this task order aspires to offer comprehensive coverage services dedicated to public safety throughout the continental U.S. and its territories over a 24-year period of performance. As part of this unique public-private partnership, the contractor provides the government with the program's vast budget, which is then reinvested into the NPSBN. The team's recipe for success was a harmonious blend of clear communication, innovative technology utilization, ongoing refinement, capacity enhancement, and a collaborative ethos. Their efforts culminated in a system overhaul, notably truncating the period for processing contract deliverables, which tally between 75 and 100 artifacts monthly. Unparalleled transparency paves the way for insightful decisions, encompassing not only the Task Order 4 undertakings but also the broader vision and future investments of the NPSBN. Visit FAI.gov to learn more about the FirstNet Authority team's award. 

Promoting environmental sustainability in Tanzania is a formal Integrated Country Strategy goal at the U.S. Embassy in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Through teamwork and individual effort, Gabriel Rangel helped the embassy become more eco-conscious and serve as a model for other missions. Mr. Rangel, a general services officer in the management section, analyzed the procurement and acquisition processes to see if positive changes could be made to help the embassy become more sustainable. His efforts contributed to a whole-of-embassy approach to achieving sustainability goals, such as incorporating requirements for recycling and the use of environmentally friendly cleaning products in a $500,000 janitorial contract and securing a grant to redesign the embassy green space to require less water. Thanks to Mr. Rangel’s use of contracting, partnership, and education strategies, the embassy not only reduced its environmental footprint and made 'eco-believers' out of colleagues, but it can also serve as a model to other diplomatic missions and local groups looking to reduce their environmental impact. Visit FAI.gov to learn more about Gabriel's award.