ACE Operating Location provides resources for Hanscom's acquisition professionals Published Aug. 3, 2016 HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, Mass. -- Hanscom has a multifunctional team comprised of program management, contracting and financial management subject matter experts who are available to support program teams through all phases of life cycle acquisition. Hanscom’s operating location of the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center's Acquisition Center of Excellence, or ACE, provides advice and hands-on assistance to the acquisition workforce and leadership. “The Hanscom ACE instills credibility, excellence and innovation in the Air Force acquisition and sustainment process,” said Patrick Marr, Hanscom ACE chief. The Hanscom ACE is embedded within Hanscom’s Acquisition Directorate operating location for the site senior functional for program management. According to Marr, the OL Hanscom ACE is dedicated to supporting the programs assigned to the program executive offices for Battle Management, Command, Control, Communications, Intelligence and Networks and the newly stood-up Nuclear Command, Control and Communications, including geographically separated organizations. The Hanscom ACE consists of two advisory teams. One team is comprised of ACE consultants who can engage early in the acquisition process to assist with requirements definition, market research, acquisition strategy and planning and request-for-proposal development. The other team focuses on contract award as source selection advisors with extensive expertise in preparing for and accomplishing rigorous source selections in support of contract award decisions. The source selection advisors are available to assist program teams in devising solicitation instructions and source selection evaluation criteria built upon an extensive history of lessons learned and best practices of previous source selections. In addition to providing advice and assistance with source selection related documents, the ACE source selection advisors operate and manage the OL Hanscom Source Selection Facility located in Building 1520. The Source Selection Facility utilizes a mandated software program called EZ Source to facilitate the documentation of source selection decisions and analyses. “We encourage program teams to contact the OL Hanscom ACE to request the assignment of ACE consultants and source selection advisors,” said Marr. Once Marr assigns consultants and advisors, program teams receive mandatory Phase 1 and Phase 2 source selection related training that exposes the teams to the processes and resources related to efficiently taking a requirement through contract award to fielded capability. In addition, the OL Hanscom ACE offers Risk Management Workshops and Training to help program teams identify technical and acquisition risks early in the process. “These are excellent trainings that can help shape acquisition strategies and business decisions to mitigate risk,” said Marr. He added that the OL Hanscom ACE was also instrumental in developing and implementing the recently-conducted program management professional certification course in conjunction with the University of Massachusetts Lowell and the state. Currently, the ACE is working with Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition Innovation Office on Bending the Cost Curve and is in the process of developing subject matter expertise in the use of Other Transactional Authorities to support acquisition strategies with non-traditional defense companies. “The vision of OL Hanscom’s ACE is to be the subject matter experts of choice for HB, HN and NC3 to support the most challenging acquisition programs to achieve successful execution,” said Marr. He added that OL Hanscom ACE has a strategy to: create early program team successes; align the ACE subject matter experts with the PEO portfolios; focus on engagement with challenging and challenged acquisitions; maintain currency and expertise to include translating Headquarters Air Force acquisition initiatives into achievable outcomes for all programs; create and maintain a vibrant entry point/portal to policies, training, lessons learned, templates and examples; and continuously evaluate ACE contributions and efforts. For more information about the OL Hanscom ACE or for assistance, contact Marr at 781-225-1665.