Tacom Life cycLe managemenT commanD

marie gapinski

Business advocate

associate Director of Small Business ProgramsU.S. army Tacom Life cycle management command

Marie Gapinski was born in Detroit, Mich., and holds a B.A. from Wayne State University in business management with emphasis in production manufacturing. She has been a warranted contracting officer and supervisor most of her career at the U.S. Army TACOM Life Cycle Management Command in Warren, Mich. Gapinski is Level III certified in contracting. In January 2011, she became the associate director of small business programs.

With 30 years of government contracting experience, she has a wealth of knowledge to share; Gapinski was recognized in 2004 by the Army Materiel Command as the Small Business Individual of the year and received local small business awards from 1999-2007. Gapinski is a recipient of the Department of Army Achievement Medal for Civilian Service for her work with the modernization and integration of business processes for the Contracting Command.

Serving in various contracting positions within the command, her work experience includes the M1 Abrams main battle tank, counter-mine and bridge launchers, tactical vehicles including the HMMWV, bridging, boats, and trailers.

Prior to her current position as the associate director of small business programs, she served as the as the acquisition lead in the Project Manager Office for the Logistics Modernization Program.

Q: As a starting point, tell me about the TACOM LCMC Office of Small Business—its size, amount of business and its mission. Do you see any changes to the organization or structure of the office in the near term?

A: Besides myself, the Office of Small Business Programs (OSBP) has with six small business specialists and one administrative spe-cialist. The office size fluctuates as developmental assignments for contracting personnel rotate through our office.

The OSBP’s mission is to ensure a fair and equitable share of TACOM LCMC business opportunities are available for small busi-nesses and to leverage small business capabilities to assist in meet-ing the joint warfighters’ challenges today and tomorrow. We have to stay flexible as the Army transforms. We stand ready to support

those changes and are committed to maximizing business oppor-tunities for small businesses promoting socio-economic programs.

The goals for small business achievement are projected each fiscal year based on the anticipated spend. For FY14, our share is 10 percent of all the dollars spent at this command. Right now, over $168 million has been awarded to small businesses.

Q: For contracting purposes here, how is a small business defined and do you think that assessment works in today’s marketplace or should changes be considered?

A: To be considered a small business for a government solicitation, the business must not exceed the North American Industry Clas-sification System (NAICS) Codes Size Standard assigned to a solici-tation. The Small Business Administration (SBA) establishes small business size standards for NAICS Codes.

See also, Title 13 Code of Federal Regulations Part 121 Small Business Size Regulations.

The assessment for defining a small business works, the Small Business Administration updates codes to reflect technological advancements in today’s commodities, products and services.

Marie GapinskiAssociate Director of

Small Business ProgramsU.S. Army TACOM Life Cycle

Management Command

Business AdvocateMaximizing Business Opportunities for Small Businesses

Q&AQ&A

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■ Commanding General ■ Command Sergeant Major ■ Deputy to the Commander ■ Chief of Staff ■ Deputy Chief of Staff

TACOM LCMC Command Group

Integrated Logistics Support Center

■ Deputy Executive Director

Ground Combat Support, Readiness and Sustainment

■ Director

Heavy Combat Product Support Integration Directorate

■ Director ■ Heavy Armor & Recovery Group

■ Abrams Armament Group ■ Combat Support ■ Mobility Group

Security Assistance Management Directorate

■ Director• Armaments Division• Chief• SmallArms

Light Combat Product Support Integration Directorate

■ Director ■ Bradley Armament & Mines Group ■ Bradley Mobility Group ■ M113/Fox Mobility Group ■ Brigade Combat Team Support Group/Interim Armored Vehicle

■ Support Team

Field Artillery Directorate ■ Director ■ M109 Family Cab Logistics Team ■ M109 Family Cab Supply Team ■ Medium Towed & Fire Control ■ Light Towed & Fire Control ■ Towed Artillery NET Team ■ Towed M119/M102 Howitzer Team

■ Towed M198 Howitzer Team ■ Operations Team ■ Target Acquisition Team

Combat Support/Combat Services Support, Readiness & Sustainment

■ Director

Tools & Training Systems Product Support Integration Directorate

■ Co-Directors ■ Contracting Group ■ Logistics Support/ Training Systems Group

Deployment Equipment Product Support Integration Directorate

■ Director ■ Troop Support Group ■ Construction Equipment Group

■ Materials Handling Equipment Group

■ Petroleum & Water ■ Logistics Group ■ Watercraft Inspection Group

Tactical Vehicles Product Support Integration Directorate

■ Director ■ Heavy Truck Group ■ Light Truck Group ■ Medium Truck Group ■ Light/Medium System Contracting Group

■ Trailers

TACOM Life CyCLe MAnAgeMenT COMMAnD

Logistics Integration ■ Director

Supply Directorate ■ Director ■ Distribution Management Group ■ Army Working Capital Fund Group ■ Supply Chain Management Group ■ Enterprise Business Operations & NAMI Group

Fleet & Maintenance Integration Directorate

■ Director ■ Fleet Maintenance Support Group ■ War Reserve/Retrograde/Donations/Retail Supply Group

■ Logistics Support Group ■ Maintenance Integration & Publications Group

Weapons Product Support Integration Directorate

■ Director ■ Associate Director ■ Apache Team ■ Apache Longbow Team ■ USA Helicopter Team ■ Crew Served Weapons Team ■ Individual Weapons Team ■ Small Arms Group ■ Heavy Machine Gun Team ■ Medium Machine Gun Team ■ Light Machine Gun Team ■ Rifle & Carbines Team ■ Mount Team ■ Logistics Team ■ Resources Team ■ Special Projects Team

Weapons Readiness, Sustainment & Support

■ Director

Soldier & Chem/Bio Readiness and Sustainment

■ Director

Chemical/Biological Defense Product Support Integration Directorate

■ Director ■ Product Support/Decon & Collective Protection Group

■ Product Support Integrator IP

Clothing/Heraldry Product Support Integration Directorate

■ Director ■ Clothing & Services Office

■ Heraldry Product Integration Directorate

G1 / Corporate Human Resources Directorate

G6 / Chief Information Office

G2 / Intelligence & Security Directorate

G8 / Resource Management

G5/7 / Strategic Planning & Transformation Office

G4 / Logistics, Engineering and Environmental

Anniston Army Depot

Rock Island Arsenal

Red River Army Depot

Sierra Army Depot

Watervliet Arsenal

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Q: Is there a goal—or a requirement—on how much of TACOM’s contracting busi-ness should be done with a certified small business?

A: Yes. TACOM LCMC receives annual goals from Army Materiel Command for small business contract awards at the prime contract level and also for subcontracting. TACOM LCMC’s commanding general for-mally apportions annual goals to each one of our sites. Goals are further apportioned to the socio-economic programs as well. From Small Disadvantaged Business to Service Disabled Veteran Owned catego-ries, goals are set each year.

Q: For smaller companies, trying to do business with the military may appear daunting. Does your office offer advice and guidance in negotiating the submis-sion and contracting process?

A: Our office assists small businesses who are interested in doing business with TACOM LCMC. Normally, we like to meet with the small businesses to determine several things:

1. If they are registered to do business with the federal government

2. What their capabilities are (to see if they are a good fit for TACOM LCMC)

3. What experience they have with government contracting4. How familiar they are with TACOM LCMC’s mission and

contracting process.

Based on the findings, we may determine that one business may need basic assistance (SAM registration, get familiar with ProcNet, FedBizOps, etc.) and we may direct them to go to their servicing Procurement Technical Assistance Center. Another business may be further along and [may have] already done some business with other government agencies, but wants to explore opportunities with us; in this case, if they are a good fit, we can provide them with point of contact information for the TACOM LCMC teams that have requirements in their field.

Q: Are you working on any initiatives that will make the contract-ing process simpler or easier for a small business?

A: The Army Contracting Command has that responsibility. We do work with them when small businesses bring issues to our attention.

Q: Do you leave it to the businesses themselves to look for part-nering or subcontracting opportunities or do you have mecha-nisms in place to facilitate those kinds of relationships?

A: Ultimately, it is up to the small businesses to seek partnering or subcontracting opportunities with government prime contractors.

Our office provides several tools to assist them in this task:

• We post TACOM LCMC’s prime contractors lists for their reference.

• We compile/maintain a list of available subcontractors that can be accessed by the command’s prime contractor community as well as acquisition personnel looking for companies with certain capabilities.

• Annually, we host a small business fair and we invite TACOM LCMC prime contractors to host display tables and provide small businesses with the opportunity to interact with them one-on-one and network.

Should they need additional assistance, the Small Business Administration and procurement technical assistant centers are agencies that are more suitable to recommending partnering arrangements between small businesses.

The government will recognize partnership agreements IAW FAR Subpart 9.6 Contractor Team Arrangements. The OSBP has an active list of available subcontractors. A small business firm interested in adding its company to the list you can go to our web-site: https://contracting.tacom.army.mil/sbo/sbo.htm.

Q: Are you planning a small business fair this year? What are the advantages of attending?

A: Yes. The 2014 Small Business Fair is scheduled for June 11, 2014 at the John Lewis Center (K Building) of Macomb Commu-nity College. This year’s theme is “maximizing contracting oppor-tunities through collaborative and dedicated leaders advocating for small business entities.”

The intent of the fair is to provide [those with] small busi-nesses concerns a forum to engage in mutually beneficial inter-action with key personnel from TACOM LCMC’s acquisition

Bradley program procurement has requested an FY15 budget of $107.5 million for, among other things, fielding the Operation Desert Storm situational awareness package to the National Guard, installing 146 engineering change kits, and converting 23 M3s to M2s to support further digitalization. [Photo courtesy of U.S. Army]

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community and requirement offices as well as our prime contractors.

In addition to the networking opportu-nity, our event will offer breakout sessions on topics of interest to the small business community.

Q: What are your goals or benchmarks for the next 12 months?

A: For FY14 we have several that are cal-culated:

• Small business goal is 10 percent• Small disadvantaged SB is 2.5 percent• Woman owned SB is 2.0 percent• Hubzone SB is .5 percent• Service disabled veteran owned SB is .6

percentThese goals are recalculated every fiscal year.

Q: What else is it important for busi-nesses—small and large—to know about the TACOM Office of Small Business?

A: For small businesses, look not only to OSBP organizations for guidance, but know your local procurement technical assistance centers. You can find them at www.sba.gov/content/procurement-technical-assistance-centers-ptacs. Your SBA has a wealth of

knowledge at sba.gov as well. We are all here to make a difference. Thank you for allowing us to serve you and our warfighters.

Email us at usarmy.detroit.tacom.mbx.lcmc-osbp@mail-mil or call us at 586-282-5388 for additional information.

I’d also like to thank the small business specialists here for the work they do every day and [give] special thanks to Silvia Owens and Linda Ballard who assisted me in prepping for this interview. O

TACOM LCMC manages the Army’s light, medium and heavy machine gun product lines. [Photo courtesy of U.S. Army]

TACOM Top Contracts FY13Small Business Main Contractual Responsibilities FY13 Total

Kipper Tool (WOSB) Squad and Platoon Tool Kits for Urban OperationsSATS (Standard Automotive Tool Set)

$46.1 million

Fidelity Technologies Heavy Tactical Vehicle B-Kit Armor $37.6 million

MDT Armor “David” Armored Land Rover $33.2 million

Redstone Defense Systems SCWS (Standardized Commander’s Weapon Station)Mod Kit for the Assault Breacher Vehicle

$23.3 million

SDIC Constructors Construction Services at ANAD $21.7 million

Large Business Main Contractual Responsibilities FY13 Total

General Dynamics Stryker; Abrams; GCV $1.96 billion

Oshkosh FHTV; FMTV; M-ATV $1.60 billion

BAE Systems Bradley; Paladin; Hercules; GCV $526.5 million

ManTech Support Services for MRAP and Route Clearance Vehicles $433.1 million

Textron Armored Security Vehicle $189 million

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Anniston Army Depot

Anniston Army Depot overhauls and repairs all heavy and light combat vehicles (except for the Bradley and MLRS), towed and self-propelled artillery, as well as small arms for U.S. and allied forces. The depot is moving forward with the Army transfor-mation by providing direct support to the Stryker vehicle assembly and repair pro-gram. Additionally, the depot is leading the way within the Department of Defense in the public-private partnership arena with over 30 such agreements currently in place covering a wide range of activities.

Army ContrACting CommAnD-WArren

The Army Contracting Command-War-ren is part of the Army Contracting Com-mand (ACC), and is headquartered in Warren, Mich., at the TACOM Life Cycle Manage-ment Command. With multiple geographic sites located throughout the Unites States, they are responsible for acquisition support and contracting for a large number of the Army’s major weapon systems, for systems and equipment supporting other services, for depot-level maintenance services, and for for-eign military sales customers. ACC-Warren ensures war fighting readiness for the soldier by purchasing ground combat, tactical vehi-cles, armaments and small arms, chemical/biological systems, targetry, petroleum/water systems, construction equipment, combat engineering services, supporting services, and selected components.

integrAteD LogistiCs support Center

The ILSC is the life cycle sustainment manager for all TACOM Life Cycle Man-agement Command-managed items. They provide fleet/weapon systems management, acquisition logistics and sustainment logis-tics. They are also responsible for sustaining war fighting readiness and managing a large part of DoD’s investment in war fighting as integrators of approximately 3,137 weapon

systems that form the core of America’s ground combat fleet capability.

Joint systems mAnufACturing Center-LimA

Joint Systems Manufacturing Center-Lima, operating as a government owned contractor operated facility and managed under the direction of Defense Contract Management Agency General Dynamics Land Systems, is the production facility for the M1 Abrams tank systems and the USMC expeditionary fighting vehicle. JSMC-Lima also builds structures and components for other DoD (vehicle) programs.

reD river Army Depot

Supporting the joint combatant com-mander with products and services improved through lean manufacturing, other process improvement tools and relevant technolo-gies. Red River Army Depot (RRAD) is an ISO 9001:2008, ISO 14001:2004 and OHSAS 18001:2007 registered industrial complex providing responsive and innovative solu-tions for the Department of Defense in repair, overhaul, recapitalization, remanufacture, certification, and conversion of combat sys-tems and tactical vehicles. Designated as the Center of Industrial and Technical Excel-lence for the Bradley fighting vehicle sys-tem, tactical wheeled vehicles and rubber products, RRAD is a strategic national asset providing support at operational speed and is an essential element of the joint forces. The most recent addition to RRAD’s mission is depot level reset and repair of the mine resistant ambush protected vehicle.

roCk isLAnD ArsenAL Joint mAnufACturing AnD teChnoLogy Center

Rock Island Arsenal Joint Manufactur-ing and Technology Center (RIA JMTC) is the free world’s largest manufacturing arse-nal and can accomplish every phase of the manufacturing process interim and objective forces of all the armed services.

sierrA Army Depot

Sierra Army Depot serves as an Expedi-tionary Logistics Center that provides the full range of logistics support for the defenders of our nation through long-term sustain-ment storage, maintenance, care of supplies in storage, equipment reset and container management, while embracing the Army val-ues. Located in Herlong, Calif., Sierra has an ideal high desert climate, an onsite airfield, an extensive rail and transportation network, and is a recognized multifunctional instal-lation. They serve as our Strategic Power Projection Platform, providing logistics sup-port for asset receipt, classification, manage-ment, storage, distribution, maintenance, assembly and containerization, and the rapid worldwide shipment of material in support of the warfighter. Missions include reset, new assembly and kitting operations, training support, maintaining of medical readiness stock and other operational project stocks, a redistribution mission for Class II and IX items, and have established an end-of-first life cycle center for excess combat vehicles. SIAD embraces continuous improvement, has private-public partners and provides critical life cycle management support for equipment and supplies.

WAtervLiet ArsenAL

Watervliet Arsenal is America’s “Can-non Factory,” the oldest, continuously active arsenal in America, which has provided materiel for the U.S. warfighter since the War of 1812. An ISO 9001:2008 registered indus-trial complex, the Watervliet Arsenal and its partner, the U.S. Army Armament Research, Development and Engineering Command’s Benét Laboratories, are the Army’s capability and Center of Excellence for tank, artillery and mortar systems. Collocation of research, design, development, engineering and man-ufacturing provides customers quick, seam-less transition from concept design through prototyping to production. This 143-acre site has more than 2 million square feet of floor space, more than half of which is for indus-trial operations. O

tACom Life CyCLe mAnAgement CommAnD Lists eight DistinCt business groups.Business Groups

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