01/15/2020
The Government Contract Management Symposium (GCMS) in Arlington, Virginia was from December 9 through December 10, 2019. The National Contract Management Association (NCMA) provided a crowdsourced format for attendees to advance the profession-identifying current challenges and developing solutions as a community. The emphasis for these discussions were on what works, what doesn't, and how to improve things. They called it the "Power to the Solution Makers" and an event was done focusing just on power solutions. Attendees were able to express what current issues they are facing and how we could go about to finding solutions for those issues. GCMS focused on the future of contracting and how to speed up the process, mitigating, working with industry and building better tools rather than rules. Overall the experience was amazing, from the networking to the information that was presented. GCMS is a must go for anyone seeking to expand their contracting experience and go beyond the everyday work discussions. I am currently part of the Contract Management Leadership Development Program (CMLDP) that NCMA host every year. Being a part of this cohort I was able to attend leadership presentations, breakout sessions and even sit in with the NCMA Board Members for breakfast to have one on one discussions about what NCMA sees for the future. I was also able to pick up the NCMA 2019 Chapter of Excellence Award presented to our Picatinny Chapter. And witness one of our own Albert Rinaldi receive the 2019 Advancing Professionals Award. NCMA has numerous opportunities that can truly open up professional doors for those who take advantage of events like this one.
