ACC employee earns Secretary of the Army Award for Small Business Utilization

REDSTONE ARSENAL, Alabama (August 17, 2023) – An Army Contracting Command-New Jersey procurement analyst received the Secretary of the Army Award for Small Business Utilization August 10 at the Pentagon.

Gherin Fracasso, the assistant director of the Office of Small Business Programs for ACC-New Jersey, developed an educational “Did you know” campaign reaching internal and external stakeholders that expanded awareness of small business direct award programs.

The training campaign highlighted areas of the Federal Acquisition Regulation that enabled an acquisition team to move faster through the process by going direct to small business socioeconomic categories. In fiscal 2021 and 2022, all ACC-New Jersey contracting personnel were presented with this campaign along with more than 800 government employees, and it is presented at industry engagement events across the nation.

“Mr. Fracasso’s transformational efforts to ensure educational training and expand awareness to the internal and external customers led to cultivating an acquisition team environment that has resulted in reductions to cost and schedule while enhancing contracting opportunities for small business firms and increasing small business achievements,” said Gen. Charles Hamilton, the commanding general of Army Materiel Command. “He understands that small business is a critical enabler to readiness, which ensures the warfighter gets what they need, when they need it.”

Fracasso’s initiative impacted small businesses and aided in the urgent requirement of ammunition for the MK22 Precision Sniper Rifle. The ACC-New Jersey contracting team and the Project Manager-Maneuver Ammunition Systems sought out Fracasso to assist with the potential of a Woman-Owned Small Business direct awards. As a result of the contract awards, the Women-Owned Small Business is positioned to produce ammunition at levels well above the Army’s requirement while delivering rounds to the field at a faster rate than any other known producers.

“Mr. Fracasso’s commitment to addressing the barriers and the challenges that face industry, as well as those facing the acquisition team along with his novel and innovative approaches demonstrate a commitment that will continue to nurture the health of the industrial base and address critical shortages in ammunition supply, by expanding the awareness and accessibility for small business vendors,” said Thaddeus Martin, the AMC director of the Office of Small Business Programs. “These innovative practices and strategies are critical components in putting the acquisition team on a sustainable strategic path to win future fights as they continue to navigate an unpredictable future.”

ACC-New Jersey provides a full spectrum of acquisition tools and procedures to ensure on-time and quality execution of programs and acquisition requirements for its mission partners. ACC-New Jersey has two operating locations in New Jersey: Picatinny Arsenal and Fort Dix.

About Army Contracting Command

The Army Contracting Command is headquartered at Redstone Arsenal, Alabama. From food and clothing to bullets and bombs; from tanks and trucks to boats and aircraft; from Soldiers’ weapons to the installations where they work and live with their families, ACC ensures Soldiers have what they need to be successful. As the Army’s principal buying agent, ACC supports Army readiness and modernization by using best practices and expert-level oversight to provide warfighters with premier contracting support. The command accomplishes its global operational missions with a professional workforce of Soldiers, Department of the Army civilians, foreign local nationals and contractors at more than 100 locations worldwide.