Blue Ribbon Commission Releases Report to Congressman Austria and the Region

The Blue Ribbon Commission today released the commission’s report to Congressman Steve Austria and local community leaders.  Austria appointed the commission to examine how local companies and universities can better position themselves to win more contracts and support Wright Patterson Air Force Base and the Dayton Region.

"This report by the Blue Ribbon Commission will significantly benefit the region," Congressman Austria said.  "In addition to supporting Wright Patterson Air Force Base, it will help set in place a business model for our area to bring our "A" game to better compete for government contracts and jobs as a region.  I am excited about the possibilities."

John McCance, who is retired Air Force, and Gary Kowal, who has many years of experience in defense contracting, served as co-chairs of the Blue Ribbon Commission and presented the commission's findings, conclusions and recommendations today to the public. Since the initial meeting of the group in December 2009, the commission has been holding regular meetings and subcommittee meetings.

"We are pleased to deliver our report which identifies 18 specific recommendations to further increase this Region's participation in winning more contracting opportunities", commented Gary Kowal, Commission Co-Chairman.  "We have a tremendous opportunity for industry, former government personnel, and academia to now come together to support the implementation."
 
"It has truly been an honor to serve on this commission with such a dedicated group of professionals from across our region," John McCance said.  "I am excited by what we have accomplished as commissioners and am eager to assist the Congressman with implementation.  His leadership and vision in establishing the Blue Ribbon Commission clearly demonstrates his understanding of and desire to improve not only the local economy but also that of the region and state."

The commission came up with a total of 18 recommendations for the Dayton area to increase the number of contracts awarded to local companies, in turn creating more private-sector jobs in the area that can be sustained for years to come.

"I am truly appreciative of the time, energy and talents put forth by the entire commission" Congressman Austria said.  "I believe their work product will provide a very sound framework for increasing business and growing jobs in our region connected with national defense and homeland security, including Wright Patterson Air Force Base.  We must now focus our energy on successfully implementing this plan."

Among the recommendations made by the commission were:

•    Utilize social media (a website, or collaborative networking site) to house centralized information to include such items as a calendar of events; detailed information on government requirements; prime/sub contractor opportunities and links to related informational sites.

•    Leverage the region's engineering capabilities and skill base to accelerate subcontractor opportunities with large defense contractors who are involved in the research, development and manufacture of weapon systems acquired by WPAFB.  

•    Publish the "Corporate Development Education Framework" as a tool to help beginning, intermediate and advanced businesses assess their government contracting maturity and identify areas for improvement. 

•    Establish a centralized electronic capability for local area businesses having service, R&D, manufacturing, and other capabilities to provide detailed information about their qualifications, capacity and contact information and have it indexed by product and service.

•    Encourage the State of Ohio and local government to support a program, similar to the State of Utah, which provides funded support in the areas of opportunity assessment, strategy, proposal development, contract negotiations, capture and program support. 

•    Provide access to additional resources and training in the area of proposal writing and preparation.    
The commission is made up of a broad cross-section of talented and energetic community leaders who have extensive experience in the areas of industry, academia, trade associations and those who have served inside the fence at Wright Patterson.  A task force will convene in the coming weeks to begin implementing the recommendations of the Blue Ribbon Commission.

Click here for the Blue Ribbon Commission Report

Click here for the Blue Ribbon Appendix