LEESBURG, Va. –
Defense Contract Management Agency’s Cost and Pricing Regional Command, under the leadership of Executive Director Jorge Bennett and Deputy Director Mary Sheridan, hosted a training symposium in September 2023 at the National Conference Center here.
The symposium consisted of more than 220 personnel attending in person and another 383 virtual attendees at the four-day event, where senior leadership shared strategic goals and mission priorities. Sessions focused on growing customer engagement, the value of data integration and insights into “building the bench” through professional development and training.
Karen Reed, management analyst for the Pricing Division who attended the Symposium in person, thought the networking opportunities were invaluable: “It is easier to collaborate in person, and there is something to be said for non-verbal communication. Face-to-face interactions complement the virtual world and help working groups bond on another level.”
Janice Muskopf, director of Price, Cost, and Finance for the office of Defense Pricing and Contracting, served as the keynote speaker for the event. Muskopf shared insights on her experience supporting complex defense acquisitions for the Defense Department, including the value of effective pricing negotiations and shaping policy to support dwindling budgets while providing world-class products and services to our warfighters.
Michelle Hertzner, Contract Price and Cost analyst with the “H” Division, was impressed by the presentation: “Ms. Muskopf’s session was eye-opening in terms of the importance of DOD-wide oversight of pricing, profit, and contract financing policies at a higher level. Hearing about her work experience helped me really tie together just how much our daily work at DCMA can impact DOD.”
The Cost and Pricing Regional Command is comprised of two divisions and three groups, as well as the mission support office and general counsel, with 839 personnel in 33 states operating under 102 organizational codes. These team members work closely with their Contracts Directorate counterparts across the agency landscape, operating under the mission to “Deliver superior cost and pricing insight supporting affordability and readiness for the Department of Defense and its partners.”
The command’s reported fiscal year 2023 return on investment includes more than $2.4B in recommended savings and cost avoidance.