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Show HILLTOP TIMES 4 TimES Aug 23, 2012 Aviation employees hired in Ogden, support Oklahoma City Three of the employees hired will support Oklahoma City procurements. Brady Hales and Rachelle Martinez worked for the Air Force in Ogden, and George Bell applied from Hickam AFB, Prior to accepting the DLA position, Hales was a contracting intern for the Air Force working at Ogden. Hales said the work has been going well as he learns the "DLA way of doing business." "Working for Oklahoma from Ogden has been challenging as we deal with systems and technical issues, but overall it has been a good experience and has given me ample opportunity to learn and grow as a contract negotiator," Hales said. "It has forced me to rely on my training and research the policies and procedures." Hales, Martinez and Bell were hired as a shared resource supporting DLA Aviation Oklahoma City's tactical procurement operations which is organized into four branches: Pratt and Whitney Engines; Accessories; Instruments; and General Electric and Miscellaneous Engines. Tactical procurements focus on the daily needs of the maintenance mechanics, getting the part they need right now so as not to slow down or stop the production lines. "I was impressed with the diversity and level of experience that I saw in the employees hired," said Lori Glass-Primo, the chief of DLA Aviation's Pratt and Whitney Engines Branch. "I know they will be true assets to our organization." Glass-Primo oversees the geographically-separated employees with daily help from Debbie Teubert, a contracting specialist working in the Pratt and By CATHY HOPKINS DLA Aviation Public Affairs OGDEN — Defense Logistics Agency Aviation in Oklahoma City needed to hire additional employees to help with their tactical procurement workload and used an innovative approach to meet their needs. When they had difficulty filling positions advertised in Oklahoma City, they decide to advertise in Ogden, Utah, more than 1,000 miles away. This is not the first time DLA Aviation has explored sharing workload across the activities. DLA Aviation at Warner Robins was the first site to look into the process of temporary workload sharing with Oklahoma. What makes this effort different is the decision to permanently hire employees geographically-separated from their immediate chain of command. Mark Strawn, director of procurement operations in Ogden, had an open job opportunity announcement for contract negotiators. After discussions back and forth between Strawn and Frances Evans, director of procurement operations in Oklahoma, DLA Aviation decided to hire from Ogden under Oklahoma's authorized positions. "We were able to add Tinker Air Force Base, Okla as a duty location to the job announcement we had opened in April," Strawn said. "DLA Aviation has always had a strong, collaborative relationship with Hill Air Force Base. The Air Force is restructuring its operations, which creates opportunities for Air Force employees in Ogden to apply for DLA positions. We ended up with 16 applicants for four positions and were able to fill the positions by June." Whitney Engines Branch, and Debbie Allred, the Commodities Contracting Branch chief for DLA Aviation in Ogden. "The initial wave of purchase requests assigned to the employees in Ogden came from my branch and we are very grateful for the additional support," Glass-Primo said. "In June, my branch was averaging more than 200 requests with more in the pipeline. So far, our new Ogden employees have received more than 30 purchase requests (PRs). They are working diligently towards processing contract awards to support both F100 and TF33 engine requirements." PR processing includes preparing and awaiting responses to requests for quotes or proposals from suppliers, and ensuring requirements packages are complete. The newly hired employees are currently maintaining an average of 11 PRs per buyer. Glass-Primo said DLA Aviation at Oklahoma City's goal is for buyers to maintain an average of 15 PRs. The amount varies by buyer based on an overall organizational assessment as to dollar value, complexity, and average processing time for the depot-level repairable purchases in Oklahoma. Allred said employees and both sites are facing a learning curve and still have several challenges working from Ogden, including having to ship their workload manually between the sites. "Even through both sites purchase consumable and depot-level repairable items for Air Force industrial support activities, the processes and procurement systems between sites are different,"Allred said. "One challenge is the way First Article Testing is done by contractors in Oklahoma and by the government in Ogden." "Day-to-day communication with the buyers assists in clarifying issues, answering questions on current local policy, regulatory requirements, etc.," 'thebert said. "We also have provided samples and templates of required contract file documents to our buyers to assist in training." Martinez, who has 11 years of experience working as a buyer, said she loves her new job. "The people here in Utah are extremely nice and always have a positive attitude," she said. "Working for Oklahoma has been great, they provide quick feedback and we usually communicate on a daily basis." Hales, Martinez, and Bell will travel to Oklaho- Mon. - Fri. 7:00 am - 6:00 pm Open Saturdays EtwarcrigizeoWCE Most Insurance Plans Accepted. Payment Plans, Credit Cards, Military Dental Plans. EMERGENCIES WELCOME! Room Rental & a6 low as 2.89% APR/OAC* Finance your Auto loan at the Credit Union with our Loan Officers and get: $100 Cash • 90-Day First Payment • $80 Visa Fun Bucks N4i5g -414,41% Aft 10 WASATCH PEA • The stated rate is f Of a 2004 or newer for a 60-month term and for purchase price of $12,000 or more. This is our best rate: your rate may be different depending on credit history and underwritir c•teria. Loan must remain at credt union for a minimum of 12-months or incentive wit be added back to loan at payoil. Ince!' live app - :os to auto loans financed at the Credil Union with our Loan Officers.. 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