James “Hondo” Geurts, assistant secretary of the U.S. Navy for research, development and acquisition, received his 2020 Wash100 Award for the first time in his long career for driving innovation and technological capabilities for the service branch.
Executive Mosaic CEO Jim Garrettson presented the most prestigious award in government contracting (GovCon) on Friday, just a few days before Geurts’ keynote address during Potomac Officers Club’s 2020 Navy Forum on Wednesday, September 30th. Visit POC’s 2020 Navy Forum main page to register for the event.
In his pivotal role with the US Navy, Geruts has demonstrated first class vision and leadership in the development of innovative technology to accelerate the Navy’s workforce, its capabilities and support during the current pandemic.
Most notably, Wash100 Winner James Geurts revealed that the US Navy has awarded over $88.5 billion in contracts to study potential telework-based aviation maintenance work as well as remote training, installation and technology support during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Everything I’m trying to do here in accelerating work, coming up with new business approaches is to create stability, a stable demand signal,” said Hondo. “I think one of our keys to steepen that recovery and reinvention ramp is going to be about having steady work there as fast as we can.”
In addition, James Geurts utilized the service branch’s supply chain management platforms to help identify areas where production could be increased to protect its supply lines during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Geurts spoke about the Navy’s recent efforts to accelerate research and development by revising its business procedures to understand how to collaborate more effectively while working to expedite R&D activities through partnerships with academic entities.
He added that the Navy is implementing a distributed research framework to allow concurrent operations between multiple organizations. The service is additionally deploying a three-phase approach to prevent program delays and accelerate contract awards, said Geurts.
“What we can’t afford to do is take a year or two off of research and development, lose those key performers because they are key to our readiness five and 10 years from now,” Geurts noted. “We are looking to be as aggressive with them, if not more so, than we are with our more traditional defense partners.”
Executive Mosaic congratulates Geurts for their first Wash100 Award in his long career in the GovCon and federal sectors. His commitment to accelerate military procurement, drive innovation in technology and protect our nation’s infrastructure showcases the high level of excellence that a Wash100 Award recipient brings to the GovCon industry.
Don’t miss Potomac Officer Club’s 2020 Navy Forum on Wednesday, September. 30th. You can learn more at PotomacOfficersClub.com.
