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News | May 17, 2023

My DCMA: David Andrews, procurement technician

By Tonya Johnson DCMA Central Region Public Affairs

My DCMA showcases the Defense Contract Management Agency’s experienced and diverse workforce and highlights what being a part of the national defense team means to them. Shane Markel nominated David Andrews for the exceptional work he has done as a procurement technician.

“David Andrews is our most experienced and lead PT in the contracts group,” said Markel, a contracts supervisor at DCMA Detroit. “We continually rely on his expertise to carry out the mission. Not only does he accomplish the job exceptionally well, he also takes the time to train and teach others to pass on his wealth of knowledge. He’s the epitome of what a PT should aspire to be. Our leadership team sincerely appreciates David for his selfless service and dedication to DCMA Detroit.”

Today, David Andrews shares his story.

Q. How long have you been with the agency?

A. I have been a procurement technician, or a PT as we are called, with the agency for six and a half years.

Q. Which section or department do you work in?

A. I work on Team B in the Contracts Directorate at the DCMA Detroit office. I am a contracting PT with a General Access Code, Trusted Agent Code and a Direct Input Code.

Q. Why did you join the DCMA team and what do you like best about the agency?

A. I came from another federal position, and my current position offers me more challenging and diverse work. It also offers me more accounting-type work, which is related to my college major and professional interest. What I like the best about the agency is that I am a vital part of the effort put forth in managing the contracts for the Department of Defense procurement system.

Q. How does your job support warfighters? 

A. Through my efforts of adding contracts, correcting errors and updating changes to the contracting system, the result is an accurate portrayal of what is going on with the contracts as shown in the automated system, MOCAS, or Mechanization of Contract Administration Services. This keeps delays and problems to a minimum. The result is to create products in a timely manner and built correctly that will end up in the hands of the warfighter, which is our DCMA mission.

Q. What do you want others to know about PTs?

A. We are absolutely an important part of the contracting process. Due to the checks and balances built into the system, contract administrators cannot finish their work without the corrections, changes and direct input of contracts that only PTs can do.

Q. How many contracts do you input in a given fiscal year?

A. There have been 1,829 Trusted Agent corrections and updates in the past year, according to our DCMA Form 1797 registry. I have provided direct input approximately 120 times.

Q. What did you do prior to becoming a PT?

A. My last position prior to this one was as an administrative assistant at the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. But I spent most of my career in clerical positions at colleges and universities.

Q. Who are your mentors?

A. My mentors include my current supervisor, Shane Markel; Michelle Zucchetto, a contract administrator; and my co-worker, Teresa Wright, who is a PT that I helped train years ago. I also have been mentored by Kendall Kirk, an industrial specialist with the DCMA Functional Information Resources Management Center who is based at DCMA Lockheed Martin Fort Worth, and Gina Cope, a contract specialist with the DCMA FIRM Center based at DCMA Phoenix.

Q. What do you like overall about your position?  

A. Other than being in the Army Reserve for nearly 30 years, this is the most meaningful position I have ever held. I retired from the Army Reserve in 2015 as a master sergeant. I served two tours in Afghanistan at Bagram Airfield in 2006 and 2008. During the first tour, I was dual-hatted as administrative support for the battalion command staff, and I also served on the S-1 personnel staff. During my second tour, I was the brigade housing manager for more than 500 people. I will be retiring from DCMA in July, but I will miss the work I do and the people I work with on a daily basis.