CPC rotations enhance mission success, affordability

CPC rotations enhance mission success, affordability

By DCMA Cost and Pricing Command

In January 2025, the Cost and Pricing Command launched a pilot rotational program designed to equip its professionals with the skills and knowledge needed to excel. As CPC kicked off the second round of rotations in August 2025, team members from the inaugural program reflect on their experiences.

CPC's 90-day program supports Defense Contract Management Agency's strategic Line of Effort 3.3, which aims to cultivate a professional, empowered, pricing-minded workforce and integrate and exploit adaptive capabilities to respond to customer requirements. The program sought highly motivated CPC professionals eager to broaden their expertise and contribute to DCMA's mission.

The pilot program, which ran from January to April 2025, provided six candidates from across CPC with opportunities to expand their horizons. Participating host organizations included the Pricing Division; Tools and Analysis Group; Commercial Item Group; Earned Value Management System Group; Mission Support Office; Corporate Administrative Contracting Officer and Divisional Administrative Contracting Officer Division; and Specialty Pricing Group.

Huong Russell, a price and cost analyst in the Pricing Division, worked with CPC's Tools and Analysis Group. She gained exposure to cost and pricing reviews across diverse contractor environments, and valuable insights into the broader impact of proposal pricing reviews. She identified methods for streamlining case packages, which she believes will improve her efficiency and productivity. She participated in meetings addressing process improvement, including CPC internal Quality and Compliance Reviews, return on investment, Contract Business Analysis Repository, negotiation intelligence, cost evaluation capabilities, the CPC innovation hub, and Tools and Analysis Group strategic planning efforts.

Observing the Tools and Analysis Group's commitment to quality reviews highlighted how such efforts directly contribute to DCMA's audit readiness and support procuring contracting officer negotiations with documentation.

"The (Tools and Analysis) rotation program is well designed and truly exceeded my expectations," Russell said.

Angela Presnell, a DACO from the CACO/DACO Division, rotated with the CIG. She led the development of a strategic pricing position for a commercial acquisition case, delivering the Commercial Price Report ahead of schedule. Demonstrating analytical precision and effective negotiation strategies, she secured $241,000 in savings on a $2 million proposal for the 120mm Advanced Multi-Purpose XM1147 program. Her insights led to improvements in CIG processes, particularly in Contractor Purchasing System Review and Proposal Adequacy Checklist tool functionalities, which benefit DACO business system evaluations. Presnell also strengthened collaborative ties with CIG team members, establishing a foundation for ongoing information sharing.

Brendan Larson, a cost and price analyst with the Cost Accounting Standards Team, rotated with the EVMS Group. He sought to deepen his understanding of EVMS guidelines and the role of the EVMS Group in ensuring the accuracy of EVM data used by decision-makers. The rotation involved hands-on experiential assignments working alongside EVMS group members; executing DCMA EVMS Compliance Metrics, identifying preliminary risks for review, conducting interviews with contractor personnel, and drafting a Surveillance Report & CAR for the NASA Joint Polar Satellite System Program.

His rotation provided him a comprehensive understanding of earned value processes and the systems importance in program oversight, including how the group's reviews identify potential risks across contractor business systems and other contract administrative services, identifying potential audit leads.

Britney Clark of the CACO/DACO Division served with the Mission Support Office. Her experience provided the opportunity to meet and interact with people across the organization, gaining insights into organizational management. Her tasks included supporting the return-to-office executive order requirement by compiling the official distances for more than 600 remote employees and identifying the nearest agency location and drafting a CLP tracker based on new guidance. Clark emphasized the importance of gaining a more strategic perspective, looking beyond immediate tasks to understand the broader agency impact of each role within Cost and Pricing Command.

Deepak Kumar, a general engineer in the CIG, brought his technical expertise to the CACO/DACO Division. He edited a cost monitoring plan for an Acquisition Category 1 program for submission to the Board of Review, wrote a memo citing audit leads to incorporate into Defense Contract Audit Agency Mandatory Annual Audit Requirements 6 and 13, reviewed a defense contractor's Forward Pricing Rate Proposal, provided proposed rate adjustment tips, submitted a proposal adequacy checklist, and reviewed and provided suggestions for indirect rate monitoring. He acquired new cross-functional skills, discovered previously unknown sources of industry data, and learned new tools to assist with negotiation intelligence.

"I got more than I expected," he said.

Jung Kim, a DACO in the CACO/DACO Division, rotated with the Specialty Pricing Group. She engaged with Defective Pricing, Cost Accounting Standards, Contractor Insurance and Pension Review, and Financial Capabilities projects. This experience deepened her understanding of Defective Pricing criteria, DCAA Truth in Negotiations audit processes, and DCMA's ACO evaluation and resolution process. Kim worked on creating a Defective Pricing regulatory matrix which was integral to finding gaps in the process for DOD stakeholders and will be used in updating training. She also improved her ability to identify Defective Pricing issues and assess their potential impact on contracts, strengthening her ability to protect the government's interests.

The CPC Professional Development Rotational Pilot Program fostered personal and professional growth among participants and contributed to the effectiveness of the command. By expanding skillsets, enhancing understanding of DCMA's mission, facilitating collaboration across the command and identifying opportunities for process improvement, the program is a strategic investment in the workforce. These rotations hold significant potential to develop employees, improve agency effectiveness and cultivate a more knowledgeable and adaptable workforce within Cost and Pricing.

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