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WORKFORCE


RIGHT AT HOME


The author shows her children one of DIU’s high-tech independent teleconference booths during a visit from her family to the DIU facility in Mountain View. (Photo courtesy of the author)


NOT A CUBICLE IN SIGHT


With its largely open floor plan, the choice of where to work, and high-tech amenities such as noiseproof telephone booths with USB ports and wall outlets, DIU’s setup differs greatly from a typical federal office. (Photo courtesy of the author)


under other-transaction authority to best- of-breed commercial companies that may otherwise not work with DOD. (See “Multiple paths to ‘rapid.’ ”)


Te entire process of writing the terms and conditions, determination and find- ings documents, and issuing the letter of contemplation—a narrative of the intent—took less than 45 days. Tis option was as an extremely cost-effective method, providing the government with the oppor- tunity to purchase small quantities of newly developed commercial off-the-shelf technology to be tested for suitability and reliability. At DIU, we coordinated tele- conferences with pathology departments at military hospitals to find participants for this experiment. It all gave me a sense of achievement that I was contributing to a very important project at DIU.


But we were having fun, too.


On the last Tursday of each month, the DIU team went to NASA Ames Research Center’s Space Bar for drinks and networking, and one Friday we went to a cafe in Shoreline Park near the Google- plex, Google’s corporate headquarters. On that particular Friday, I realized that


my time at DIU was ending in just one short month.


HEADING FOR HOME Tat morning, I had noticed that one of the solicitations related to the cybersecu- rity portfolio was closing, so I approached David, the acquisition pathways direc- tor, and asked to participate in the source selection. I was stepping out of my comfort zone, but as I neared the end of my time at DIU, I wanted to get as much hands-on experience as possible with the commer- cial solutions opening.


David agreed, and for a week, I helped vet solution briefs against the criteria stated in the offering, sending out the merit proposals and inviting the vendors for an in-person pitch to the DIU team. I also provided support to complete evaluation forms and write non-selection letters for those who didn’t make the cut, while also helping develop the statement of work with the winner and DOD customer to submit it for a full written proposal. During the entire process, from advertising the areas of interest on the DIU website through the request for proposals, the contracting team worked hand in hand with DIU to ensure that the timeline did not exceed 120 days.


I wished that I had enough time at DIU to witness the award of the project, but my assignment came to a close before that happened. I had felt like I was working in the most enriched environment I’d ever experienced. Every day was an opportu- nity to learn something valuable.


It was a bittersweet moment when I left DIU on Aug. 16—bitter because it was my last day at DIU, and sweet that I was going home to a reunion with my family.


For more information on DIU, go to https://diu.mil/. For more information on USAMMDA, go to https://www.usam- mda.army.mil/.


RAJAL GANATRA is a DA civilian working as an assistant product manager at USAMMDA at Fort Detrick. She holds an M.S. in biotechnology from the University of Maryland University College and a B.S. in chemical engineering from Dharamsinh Desai University. A member of the Army Acquisition Corps, she is Level III certified in systems engineering and Level II certified in program management.


https://asc.ar my.mil


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