An official website of the United States government         Here's how you know         
**Official websites use .mil**
A **.mil** website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
**Secure .mil websites use HTTPS**
 A **lock (lock )** or **https://** means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Skip to main content (Press Enter).

Defense Logistics AgencyThe Nation's Combat Logistics Support Agency

Search
Search

Search

-  Home		 
-  What DLA Offers    -  Excess Property Disposal             
  -  Document Services             
  -  Products             
  -  Services             
  -  Programs 
-  Working With DLA    -  Applications             
  -  Small Business             
  -  Federal and International Cataloging             
  -  Defense Data Standards             
  -  Events             
  -  Procurement Policies             
  -  Government Programs             
  -  Forms 
-  Organizations    -  DLA Headquarters             
  -  DLA Aviation             
  -  DLA Disposition Services             
  -  DLA Distribution             
  -  DLA Energy             
  -  DLA Land and Maritime             
  -  DLA Troop Support             
  -  DLA CENTCOM & SOCOM             
  -  DLA Europe & Africa             
  -  DLA Indo-Pacific 
-  Customer Support    -  Self Help Tools             
  -  How to Order             
  -  Find Your Order             
  -  Customer Facing Offices             
  -  Training             
  -  Brochures             
  -  Warfighter Support             
  -  Customer Service Management 
-  Careers		 
-  About DLA    -  Contact Us             
  -  Locations             
  -  Leaders             
  -  News             
  -  History             
  -  Media Gallery             
  -  DLA Campaigns 

HomeAbout DLANewsNews Article View

PHOTO INFORMATION

** Download

** Details

** Share

# Acquisition executive addresses procurement questions at brown bag event

By Kristin MolinaroDLA Land and Maritime Public Affairs

                COLUMBUS, Ohio  –              
Defense Logistics Agency Land and Maritime’s Acquisition Executive Mark Brown took on questions from across the workforce Aug. 25 during his annual Brown Bag Lunch hosted by the Leadership Development Council.

This year’s event was virtual in keeping with current social distancing guidelines and to accommodate a teleworking audience, with nearly 100 associates tuning in via WebRTC. The luncheon’s theme of “Meeting the ever-changing procurement needs of our Warfighter and nation” invited discussion on current challenges facing the agency as it works to ensure the nation’s military has what’s needed to meet evolving mission requirements.

“When you don’t have a part that you need, it’s not a good feeling,” Brown said, answering a question about navigating tense communications with industry. “We owe it to the men and women in uniform who are potentially in harm’s way to do everything we can to have the part they need when they need it – whether it’s to fix a piece of equipment to do their mission or a weapon part that keeps them safe.”

“You need to be aggressive to a certain extent...and try to get the best deal you can for the government,” he stated.

The question-and-answer session was moderated by LDC’s Chrissy Southern-Hempstead, who kept things flowing throughout the hourlong event as associates submitted questions in real time to be answered. Brown is a regular presenter at LDC, having participated on an annual basis nearly every year since his selection as DLA Land and Maritime’s senior acquisition leader.

In response to a question about working with military customers on competitive sourcing, Brown lauded DLA Aberdeen’s success with multi-award contracts for interconnection parts and talked about future opportunities to apply these types of contracts in the Strategic Acquisition Programs Directorate.

Additional questions came in on sole source procurements, pricing and demand planning, taking the event up to its conclusion. Brown’s final thoughts were on leadership, offering words on leadership strategy written by former Secretary of State Colin Powell before drawing the event to a close.  

LDC announced the brown bag would serve as a kickoff for additional virtual events planned in the future and encouraged associates to reach out for membership questions. The council’s stated mission is to foster leadership and critical decision-making skills by providing the workforce with continuous learning opportunities through education forums, networking and professional events. For more information, email DLALMLDC@dla.mil.

 

**                    SHARE                

**                    PRINT                

DLA L&MSenior Leaders L&MAcquisition L&M