Vendor Day draws local companies

Published May 29, 2008
By Capt. Matt Fahrner
52nd Contracting Squadron

SPANGDAHLEM AIR BASE, Germany -- More than 60 current and potential Spangdahlem vendors representing 45 companies attended the 52nd Contracting Squadron's Vendor Day at the Eifel Stern May 7, 2008.

"It is always important to continue to look for ways to foster our strategic partnerships between the base and local business community," said Maj. Greg Mazul, 52nd CONS commander. "The focus of this year's event was on our Government Electronic Invoicing System and we were very fortunate to have DFAS representatives join the event and provide valuable insight on this system, which is still fairly new in Germany."

Invitations to current and potential contractors were mailed to vendors across Germany in March. Representatives came from as close as Bitburg, while others traveled from as far away as Dusseldorf and Kaiserslautern to learn more about contracting fundamentals -- such as how a contract is awarded -- and to meet with contracting personnel.

The day began with remarks by Col. Bill Nadolski, 52nd Mission Support Group commander, followed by an overview of the 52nd CONS flights and the GPC program, as well as contractor registration and contracting basics. Following a short break, contractors were informed on the basics of contracting, contract evaluation criteria and DFAS invoice issues. The afternoon session was devoted to Wide Area Work Flow registration and training.

This was a "win-win" for vendors and the 52nd FW, according to Master Sgt. David Tuck, Base Support flight chief. "It's an opportunity for our vendors and contractors to have valuable face-to-face contact, something we sometimes take for granted with
e-mail and the Internet," he said. "It also gives our vendors and contractors a chance to unlock some of the mysteries of electronic commerce. They can come in, sit at the computer and we can walk them through the registration sites. One-on-one training with them in the short-term will yield great gains for the 52nd FW in the long term."

The feedback from the vendors was overwhelmingly positive. Mr. Jan Hanelt, Regional Manager of GEG GmbH, said, "For us as customers, the biggest advantage is that all contracting personnel are available at one location, resulting in fantastic information exchange."

Thee next Vendor Day is scheduled for spring 2010.