Sharpen Yourself: LinkedIn & Social Networking Sites

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DID’s new “Sharpen Yourself” category aims to supplement our ongoing procurement and defense coverage with articles like “Preparing More Powerful Presentations,” which are equally valuable to professional readers of an industry magazine. One aspect that often gets neglected in this industry is career management, especially among engineers. The defense industry is widely seen as stable and recession-proof, and to some extent that’s true, but long-time veterans know from personal experience that this is only a partial truth. Programs get canceled, firms move or consolidate, the politician a Hill staffer works retires or is defeated, or it becomes clear that a change of scenery and/or role is in order. When those shocks hit, the difference between a managed and an unmanaged career is like the difference between a managed and an unmanaged defense program.

This article addresses a growing trend in business, and a topic that’s coming up more and more frequently to a Human Resources consultant of our acquaintance: the use of social networking sites like Facebook, MySpace, Ning, Friendster, LinkedIn, et. al. in the hiring process. For those in the active military, these sites also have a security dimension.

Social networking sites are distinguished by a keystone combination. A personal profile, which any job board also has, is part one. Part two is a central mechanism that leverages the voluntary connection of these profiles to each other – a major shift that can be “6 degrees of separation” powerful. These sites can and are used for many purposes, including entirely personal uses like sharing family photos. For dedicated professional business networking, however, LinkedIn has become the clear leader, and is now a key platform for executive recruiters (DID has no business affiliation with LinkedIn). If you’ve never seen these sites, you’ll need to see an example to understand. The Watershed Publishing team have all built free LinkedIn memberships and profiles – here’s mine:

LinkedIn carries few risks, but there are features you’ll want to pay careful attention to as part of good career management. Other social networking sites like MySpace carry more risks – for candidates, for employers, and for military members…

$272.7M to Oshkosh for FHTV Heavy Trucks

HEMTT PLS

Oshkosh Truck Corp. in Oshkosh, WI received a $272.7 million firm-fixed price contract for “Family of Heavy Tactical Vehicles” heavy trucks, which include its HET heavy vehicle transporters, HEMTT heavy trucks, and PLS HEMTT trucks with robotic arms to load up containers et. al. Work will be performed in Oshkosh, WI and is expected to be complete by Dec 31/08. One bid was solicited on Oct 23/06, and 1 bid was received by the U.S. Army TACOM Life Cycle Management Command in Warren, MI (W56HZV07-C-0248).

Oshkosh has also introduced HEMTT A4 as the latest improvement to the HEMTT line, and a HEMTT A3 hybrid with diesel-electric power. A March 6/08 corporate release adds that this recent order adds 1,084 heavy expanded mobility tactical trucks (HEMTT) in the A4 configuration, raising the total number of ordered HEMTT A4s to 1,745 and the total contract modification to more than $321 million. Oshkosh celebrated the delivery of the 20,000th HEMTT truck on Feb 14/08, and HEMTT A4 production will begin in July 2008.

UPDATE Sept 4/08: Add an $82.7 million firm-fixed-price contract for the RECAP of 292 HEMMT A4 vehicles. Work will be performed in Oshkosh, WI, with an estimated completion date of Dec 31/08. One bid was solicited and one was received by TACOM in Warren, MI (W56HZV07-C-0248).

$60M at Tinker AFB for Civil-Environmental Engineeering

The 72nd Contracting Squadron at Tinker Air Force Base awarded a $60 million multiple-vendor, indefinite delivery/ indefinite quantity contract for follow-on architect-engineer (A-E) services on their premises. Winning firms will perform Title I, Title II, and other A-E services to the base Civil Engineer’s environmental and real property sustainment, restoration, and construction programs. Primary services include: Title I: all aspects of real property facilities, infrastructure, and environmental design and activities to support those designs including value engineering and Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design analysis. Title II: all aspects of construction quality assurance and oversight of environmental, facility, and infrastructure construction projects. Other A-E Services: support for base environmental restoration, conservation and planning, and environmental quality programs including compliance and pollution prevention.

The winners, who will compete for individual task orders, are:

• CH2M Hill, Inc. (FA8101-080D-0002, $81,781.48 committed)
  
• Cherokee CRC (FA8101-08-D-0003, $55,146.21 committed)
  
• Science Applications International Corporation (FA8101-08-D-0004, $32,906.06 committed)
  
• URS Group, Inc. (FA8101-08-D-0005, $24,854.80 committed)

Up to $9.2M to Drydock T-AOE 6 Ship

USNS Supply
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BAE Systems, Norfolk Ship Repair in Norfolk, VA received an $8 million firm-fixed-price contract for a regular overhaul of US Military Sealift Command’s fast combat support ship USNS Supply [T-AOE 6]. Work will include dry-docking the ship, painting of the underwater hull, various surveys and inspections, and repair of degaussing cable conduit and cargo reefer compressor. The contract includes options that could bring the total contract value to $9.2 million. Work will be performed in Norfolk, VA and is expected to be complete in June 2008. Contract funds will expire at the end of the fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured with 2 offers received by the U.S. Navy’s Military Sealift Fleet Support Command (N40442-08-C-2002).

The T-AOE 1 Sacramento Class and T-AOE 6 Supply Class AOEs are also referred to as “station ships.” They are especially valuable because of their speed and ability to carry all the essentials to replenish Navy ships at sea, offering a form of one-stop shopping by carrying dry stores (food, consumables, spare parts), ammunition (bombs, missiles) and fuel (oil, jet fuel). Often, shuttle ships like the USA’s new T-AKE Class simply resupply the AOE station ship, rather than resupplying each fleet ship individually.