Success Stories

Defense Distribution Center

The Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), Defense Distribution Center (DDC) is a combat support organization, providing a single, unified materiel distribution system for the Department of Defense (DoD).

The DDC provides a full range of distribution services and information enabling a seamless, tailored, world-wide distribution network which include receiving storage, and issue; customized kitting; in-transit visibility; dedicated truck delivery; pure pallets; packaging: and contingency support team.

The DDC was established on 1 October, 1997 through the consolidation of the former Defense Distribution Central, East and West Regions and currently operates 26 distribution depots around the world and has sites in seven countries and 13 U.S. States.

In 1998 as part of the DDC's realignment and reorganization strategy, the DDC implemented the OMB Circular A-76 cost comparison schedule and is in the process of finishing up on its third group of private-public distribution depot competitions.

BET, Inc. has partnered with the DDC for most of this journey to include providing a significant level of expertise in all aspects of performing public-private competitions as defined in the Circular (e.g., inventory, preliminary planning, market research, performance work statement development, agency tender development, and costing).

For the past two years and what we are most excited about is applying our knowledge and skill sets towards helping the DDC implement its A-76 post-competition accountability requirements.

Tangible Successes

Over the last two years we have worked hand-in-hand with the DDC to field a credible performance based quality management systems training program approach to ensure that each of the DDC's distribution depot's continuing government activity (CGA) and service provider team (SP) have the leadership commitment, resources, and tools to successfully fulfill their mission.

For each of the DDC's Distribution Depots that have undergone a private-public competition, we have developed a CGA Handbook, including a comprehensive Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP), communications plan, detailed information on subjects like the uniform contract format and time management, DDC-specific examples of work processes and their related surveillance, and exhaustive reference documentation to include web-based electronic versions of the handbook, with a search engine to make finding needed information more efficient.

We have traveled around the country and the world providing quality assurance and quality control hands-on and classroom training tailored to support customer-specific requirements. As part of the training, we provide a variety of tools to assist management and execution of a well-rounded oversight program. These tools include:

- A well-defined process-based approach to preparing for, conducting, documenting and reporting on surveillance efforts.
- A Surveillance Methodology Selection Tool, which assists in defining appropriate surveillance methods for use in assessing performance.
- A Surveillance Frequency Selection Tool, which helps define appropriate intervals for conducting surveillance based on a combination of risk and significance level factors.
- A Surveillance Action Selection Tool, which provides guidance for follow-on actions when surveillance results are nonconforming.
- An approach for identifying, consolidating and establishing surveillance requirements including determining baseline significance levels, frequencies, and surveillance methods for each surveillance event.

DDC Wants More

Our training approach is so popular because we have tailored it meet the DDC Headquarters Staff's needs as well as developed and trained other DLA components.

Both MEO and Private Sector service providers have attended our training.

We have even been asked to retrain DDC sites with employee turn-over because these sites believe in our training approach.

Feedback provided during and after training indicated that distribution depots are more than satisfied with the content; several of the anonymous feedback forms indicated that this was "the best training I have ever attended."