Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command (NAVFAC) Southeast hosted an Industry Day event, January 11, from the Adam W. Herbert University Center located at the University of North Florida (UNF) in Jacksonville, Florida.
The event provided NAVFAC Southeast an opportunity to promote their products and services delivery, as well as information on construction projects — current and future, through enhanced engagement with industry partners, large and small.
"Hosting our annual NAVFAC Southeast Industry Day event is not just a bridge connecting innovation with mission success; it’s an operational imperative," said NAVFAC Southeast Commanding Officer Capt. Miguel Dieguez. "The event cultivates collaboration, fosters partnerships, and amplifies the collective strength of our government-industry team, ensuring a resilient and forward-looking foundation for the challenges of tomorrow."
This year’s theme was "Accelerating Performance," which emphasized the need for NAVFAC Southeast to engage with industry to discover new ways to accelerate performance of construction, repair, and services at all levels.
The event permitted contractors to better understand NAVFAC Southeast as an organization, and the products and services they provide to the Department of Defense. It also allowed attendees the opportunity to ask questions directly to NAVFAC Southeast subject matter experts and command leadership.
"Our event goal was to bring awareness to upcoming contracting opportunities around the southeast area of responsibility and strengthen relationships with our industry partners,” said Ryan Howard, NAVFAC Southeast energy management division director and Industry Day lead. “We hope this direct interaction with our customers, and feedback from businesses representatives in attendance, will accelerate the performance of construction, repair and services at all levels.”
The schedule consisted of presentations from command leadership, "track-based" panels, discussion groups, and a speech from keynote speaker Matthew Swartz, executive director and chief of staff for U.S. Fleet Forces Command — via video teleconference. Areas of discussion included NAVFAC Southeast Operations; Environmental; Contracting; Small Business; Planning, Design, and Construction; and more.
“The alignment between the fleet and NAVFAC has never been stronger,” said Swartz via VTC from NAVFAC Headquarters in Washington DC. “NAVFAC’s ability to deliver projects on-time and on-cost is critical in terms of our nation’s ability to generate forces to fight and win in the future.“
Other DoD panel discussions included Fleet Readiness Center Southeast, Corpus Christi Army Depot, Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay, and Naval Ordnance Test Unit.
Small businesses play a vital role in the American economy - employing half of our country's private sector workforce, creating nearly two out of every three new American jobs, and often being the source of the next great American innovation. NAVFAC Southeast strives to meet its goals and build on its successes by providing contract opportunities to these businesses.
Small businesses provide services and expertise that support the Navy’s mission and the men and women in uniform. Each year NAVFAC establishes target goals for Small Business, Small Disadvantaged Business (SDB), Historically Underutilized Business Zone Small Business (HUBZONE), Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB), and Women-Owned Small Business categories. Utilizing these small business concerns to the maximum extent practicable is a matter of National interest with both social and economic benefits.
More than 750 industry professionals registered for the event, making it the highest attended Industry Day in NAVFAC Southeast’s history.
The command continuously participates in different industry outreach events throughout the year.