Save the Date! The 2020 Defense Acquisition Workforce Virtual Awards Ceremony will be held next week on Tuesday December 15, 2020 at 2:00 PM EST. According to the USD A&S Human Capital Initiatives (HCI) office announcement:

“Honorable Ellen Lord, Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment proudly recognizes the winners of DoD's 2020 Defense Acquisition Workforce Awards featured in the December 15, 2020 virtual recognition ceremony! This virtual ceremony recognizes the Defense Acquisition Workforce for their accomplishments in support of the National Defense Strategy and in the Nation’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Defense Acquisition Workforce is composed of 181,000 civilian and military professionals from the Department of the Army, Department of the Navy, Department of the Air Force, Defense Agencies, and Field Activities. The acquisition workforce is critical to delivering products and services to the Warfighter - affordable and at the speed of relevance. We are proud of these professionals and their accomplishments as they develop, acquire and sustain operational capability - all part of the National Defense Strategy to increase lethality and readiness. We proudly celebrate the devotion, professionalism and results of this workforce - and - now celebrate our best-of-the-best!

The award winners will be recognized on the Defense.gov Livestream on December 15, 2020, at 2 p.m. EST. The virtual ceremony will also be available on the HCI website to view at your convenience on or after December 15, 2020. Awards to be Presented:

• Defense Acquisition Individual Achievement Award Winners - The Defense Acquisition Workforce Individual Achievement Awards recognizes individuals who demonstrate the highest levels of excellence and professionalism in their respective acquisition functional area.
• David Packard Excellence in Acquisition Award Winners -The David Packard Excellence in Acquisition Award recognizes Department of Defense (DoD) acquisition program and other teams who have demonstrated excellence and innovation in developing, acquiring, and sustaining operational capability that supports the National Defense Strategy lines of effort to increase readiness and lethality, strengthen alliances and achieve significant reform.
• Software Innovation Team Award Winner - The Software Innovation Team Award, established in 2019, recognizes teams who are driving speed and innovation in continuous software development and acquisition as evidenced by frequent and high-quality delivery of software capabilities into the hands of Warfighters.
• Flexibility in Contracting Award Winner - The Flexibility in Contracting Award was established by Section 834 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017. The award recognizes professionals who have demonstrated “innovation and local adaptation” by using the flexibilities and authorities granted by the Federal Acquisition Regulation and DoD Instruction 5000.02, “Operation of the Defense Acquisition System”.
• Defense Acquisition Workforce Development Innovation Award Winners - The Defense Acquisition Workforce Development Innovation Awards recognize acquisition organizations that have demonstrated exceptional innovation in talent management.
• Small Business Vanguard Award Winners - The Small Vanguard Awards program was established in 2015 to recognize the superior performance by government personnel, teams, and organizations who have helped increase the competitiveness of the small business industrial base.

If you have questions about the 2020 Defense Acquisition Workforce Awards, please send an email to [email protected].”