SAN DIEGO - The relocation of Defense Contract Management Agency San Diego was recently recognized at the Commanders Forum held at Fort Lee, Virginia, for a savings of $450,000 annually through the award of a new lease — the largest single facility savings in the agency. This is a significant step toward realizing the agency’s Strategic Plan Objective 4.3; reduce facility costs by 30 percent.
“It was a time consuming and highly collaborative effort, but excellent up-front planning and attention to detail resulted in a very successful office move,” said Navy Capt. Richard McCarthy, DCMA San Diego commander. The move, which involved more than 125 personnel and related equipment, was strategically planned to occur over a weekend to minimize operational impact.
From McCarthy’s first email announcing the move in November of 2014, to the official ribbon cutting at the new facility a year later, DCMA San Diego demonstrated excellent internal and external teamwork, creative problem solving and timely coordination of efforts during the entire process to make it work.
In the early stage of searching for the new home, McCarthy and then Deputy Commander Tina Garner worked closely with DCMA facilities, security and information technology teams, as well as the General Services Administration, to identify competitive locations within a reasonable commuting distance.
“After GSA selected the best competitive offer, then came the detailed planning and execution for renovating an existing commercial facility,” said McCarthy. “Construction, information technology, phones, systems furniture, security, actual move planning and execution took several months. Through close coordination with stakeholders on site, and via weekly teleconferences, our new home began to take shape.”
As moving day grew near, meetings were more frequent to minimize the impact of inevitable renovation surprises. Computers were powered down around 3 p.m. on a Friday. The office was moved over the weekend using makeshift phone support services, security, IT personnel and a skeleton DCMA staff to energize new systems and supervise a multitude of professional movers. The office was re-opened for business at 7 a.m. Monday.
“The entire office was up and running,” said McCarthy. “Our phone lines were connected and computers were online — to say the least, I was impressed with the extraordinary accomplishment. There are literally too many DCMA, GSA, architects, construction and contracted team members to list who made this move a success. It was purely a team effort and a team success.”
For the ribbon cutting ceremony, David Devlin, DCMA Western Region deputy commander, and Carlene Ousley, DCMA Santa Ana director, were in attendance. A delicious Thanksgiving potluck, hosted by the San Diego team, immediately followed the ribbon cutting event.
McCarthy said DCMA San Diego spent more than 30 years in their old location, and they look forward to supporting all their customers in the new location for the next 30.