FORT EUSTIS, Va. — Henry Nettey wanted to do more to support his customers in Afghanistan, so he deployed alongside them.
Nettey is a contract administrator at Defense Contract Management Agency Hampton who deployed for five months under the Contingency Response Force program to the Area Support Group’s contracting office at Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan, from August 2017 to January 2018. He has been a part of the DCMA team since July 2012, and prior to that, he served in the Navy for 10 years and left as a petty officer second class.
“I served as the initial point of contact assisting on all procurement and contract-related matters for Task Force Enabler, which is the central point of contact for all Area Support Group contracting-related issues,” he said. “I aided all staff and customers in understanding and completing their activities in market research and reviewing the specifications and statements of work.”
In his role, Nettey kept track of all acquisition milestones for TF Enabler and ensured proper input was provided for contract continuation. He managed and coordinated the contracting officer representative database as well as provided his chain of command with timely information on contract performance and deadlines.
“I oversaw that specifications and all documentations related to acquisition were prepared in a manner which adequately described the government requirements without restricting competition,” said Nettey. “As a contract analyst, I provided the fiscal responsibility in making sure contractors as well as contracting officer representatives were in compliance with performance standards, applicable laws, delivery schedules, payments provisions, inspections and other requirements as stated in their contracts.”
Besides providing contract oversight, Nettey said he made sure his fellow acquisition colleagues had the proper training.
“I led the training and indoctrination of all new employees assigned to the TF Enabler contracting office to adequately staff the office prior to re-deployment,” said Nettey. “I also made sure the COR matrix was continuously updated, and I notified CORs when their training needed to be renewed. Staying up-to-date with training is important to make sure we were providing the best contract oversight for our customers in theater.
“Another aspect of the job was that I led the contract coordination and integration of contract-related issues with all seven forward operating bases in Afghanistan and was instrumental in the creation, documentation and submission of packets for the weekly Joint Acquisition Review Board,” Nettey added. “The Joint Acquisition Review Board is a cell within the operational contracting support that approves all contracting requirements within the Area Support Group.”
In addition, as part of his job, Nettey served as the subject matter expert regarding the government furnished life support validation and advised customers regarding compliance issues. As an SME, he provided verification and approval of base life support functions, including housing and dining privileges.
As a recognition of his service, Nettey received the Army Achievement Medal for Civilian Service, Certificate of Wartime Service, Secretary of Defense Medal for the Global War on Terrorism and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization Non-Article 5 Medal.
“I deployed to gain contingency contracting experience,” he said. “The experience has given me a better understanding of the contracting life cycle. It’s a worthwhile experience that is only attainable in that unique environment. I enjoyed working with the international community to provide a common goal for the warfighter.
“I’m glad I deployed to assist our warfighters,” said Nettey. “It was a great experience. I would deploy again to assist them.”