Beverly Y. Thomas, USACE PARC-Atlanta, and LTG Robert Van Antwerp, USACE Head of the Contracting Activity (HCA), cut the ribbon to the PARC-Atlanta office. (Photo by Terry Powers, USACE.)

The mission of the regional Principal Assistant Responsible for Contracting (PARC) offices is to provide world-class contracting support through technical oversight and approval of contractual documents to ensure successful execution of USACE mission requirements. The PARC objectives are to:

• Ensure our objectives support the commanders’ mission objectives.
• Ensure compliance with acquisition statutes, regulations, and procedures.
• Improve quality of contracting processes, procedures, and products.
• Eliminate redundancies.
• Provide early team participation.
• Improve document response time.
• Standardize and streamline procedures.
• Improve customer satisfaction by improving support to customers.
• Provide training and assistance, as needed.

USACE Mission
Since its inception, USACE has responded to the Nation’s call in peace and war, adapting whenever necessary to meet the Nation’s changing needs. As the world’s premier public engineering organization, USACE is decisively engaged with its day-to-day responsibilities, along with the added mission of supporting Iraq and Afghanistan reconstruction and responding to Hurricane Katrina recovery efforts. USACE understands that competent acquisition, engineering, and environmental skills are critical to mission success. Over the past several years, acquisition and contracting have struggled to keep up with the demands. Reasons for this struggle include fragmented control of the contracting function; manpower and resource challenges; lack of standardized processes; and a lack of adequate focus on policy, program evaluation, and workforce development.

To address these challenges, LTG Carl A. Strock, former Chief of Engineers, USACE, created a Business Transformation Taskforce in March 2006 to study and provide recommendations to transform the USACE contracting infrastructure and business processes. The Taskforce recommended, and Strock adopted, the following four recommendations:

Pictured at the PARC-Winchester office are (left to right): COL Norbert Doyle, former USACE DOC; LTG Robert Van Antwerp, USACE HCA; Cathy A. Bella, USACE PARC-Winchester; and Colleen O’Keefe, USACE Deputy PARC-Winchester. (Photo by Janet Dove, USACE.)

• Refocus the headquarters’ contracting staff to operate strategically by providing policy, performing program evaluations, and centralizing workforce development initiatives.
• Realign contracting advocacy and expertise near mission execution by delegating PARC responsibilities to multiple locations.
• Address the reporting chain for the contracting community that incorporates HQDA guidance for a functional realignment consistent with USACE 2012 principles.
• Develop a USACE Contracting Surge Plan.

To rise to the challenge and create an environment of acquisition excellence, USACE restructured its contracting resources and created a National Contracting Organization, with headquarters and divisions operating seamlessly to effectively use regional resources and expertise through the concept of mutual interdependence. The roles of the headquarters’ Director of Contracting (DOC) and the PARCs were clearly defined; the DOC has a strategic focus and the PARCs have a tactical focus on the technical execution of the contracting mission. Mutual interdependence is realized by working with the divisions to achieve regional interface, program management, quality assurance, and realignment of resources to achieve the mission.

The realignment of contracting advocacy and expertise was accomplished by delegating PARC responsibilities to multiple locations, which resulted in the decision to place PARC offices in Atlanta, GA; Dallas, TX; and Winchester, VA. The PARC-Atlanta oversees the contracting activities at South Atlantic, North Atlantic, Great Lakes and Ohio River, and Mississippi Valley divisions. The PARC-Dallas oversees contracting activities at South Pacific, Pacific Ocean, Southwestern, and Northwestern divisions. The PARC-Winchester oversees the global mission executed by the Huntsville Engineering, Research, and Development Center; the Humphreys Engineer Center Support Activity; the Transatlantic Programs Center; and the warfighting mission executed by the Gulf Region Division and Afghanistan Engineer District.

Maureen Q. Weller (left), USACE PARC-Dallas; MG Ronald Johnson, Deputy Commanding General; and Sandra R. Riley, former USACE DOC; cut the ribbon to the PARC-Dallas office. (Photo by Rusty Morton, USACE.)

Regional PARCs Appointed
On Oct. 23, 2007, an enthusiastic crowd of dignitaries, employees, and guests filled the USACE South Atlantic Division’s executive conference room in Atlanta, GA, for the ribbon-cutting ceremony opening the PARC-Atlanta office. LTG Robert Van Antwerp, Chief of Engineers and HCA, hosted the ribbon-cutting ceremony and made remarks. Van Antwerp and Tina Ballard, former Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army (Policy and Procurement), presented Beverly Y. Thomas with a framed letter appointing her as the PARC-Atlanta.

On July 31, 2007, at the Transatlantic Programs Center, Winchester, VA, Cathy A. Bella was appointed as the PARC-Winchester. Van Antwerp and COL Norbert Doyle, the former USACE DOC, hosted the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Maureen Q. Weller was appointed as the PARC-Dallas in a ceremony on May 30, 2007, hosted by the Deputy Commanding General, MG Ronald Johnson, and Sandra R. Riley, the former USACE DOC.