Martek was selected to provide acquisition support services to a U.S. Department of Defense client that that had a vast backlog of expired contracts requiring closeout.  The expired contract types were varied and in many instances, the completed contracts orders required a de-obligation of funds including from cost reimbursable contracts.

The demand for experienced contracting professionals across the federal government poses challenges in identifying and sourcing contract specialists with security clearances.

Martek’s first step was to analyze existing contract closeout procedures and break the workflow down into its individual components.  In so doing, Martek proved, as part of its streamlined process, that several steps in the workflow did not require contract specialists for their performance.   In many cases, personnel with either customer service background or administrative support experience could perform the specific task just as effectively and at a lower cost to the client.  Contract closeout tasks that Martek identified for workload reassignment included: performing follow-up to requests for data or information; contract status tracking; and general business administration functions such as typing and record keeping.  Martek sourced qualified staff with the required level of professional experience and who met the client’s security clearance requirements.  The personnel were integrated into a team with experienced contract specialists who could oversee the contract closeout process and perform duties that were more commensurate with their training and salary. The services agreement was modified and a reduction in labor costs was agreed to by both contracting parties.

With Martek’s help, the client realized increased contracting efficiencies by improving staff workload management resulting in a reduction in the backlog of contract closeouts and a decrease in the level of unliquidated obligations.  By eliminating workflow steps and reassigning some tasks to non-contracting personnel, the client achieved an increased rate of contract and file closures. Equally important, the morale of contract specialists increased dramatically when routine tasks were eliminated from their daily workload.   The client received the same level of service while preserving some of their budget for other uses making this a cost-effective measure.