Original Date: 02/24/1997
Revision Date: 04/14/2003

The Industrial Operations Command (IOC) has developed a partnering strategy between government and contractor staffs that has eliminated undesirable effects of the traditional adversarial relationship that existed for years. Previously, there were limited amounts of cooperation and teamwork between government and contractor staffs at IOC installations. This often resulted in strained relations, duplication of effort, cycle time delays due to poor communication, and increased administrative costs. The new partnering strategy was developed to enable IOC to become a more responsive and efficient organization with improved customer and employee satisfaction.

The partnering strategy was initiated through team building and planning activities at the senior level of the organization. A series of workshops was conducted at each participating installation. The purpose of the workshops was to develop and begin implementing process improvement initiatives for the installation through cooperation, joint participation, and communication. Partnering strategies have been successfully implemented at the following installationsHawthorne Army Depot, Radford Army Ammunition Plant, and Iowa Army Ammunition Plant. Headquarters partnering strategies include the following program teamHydra 70 Team, Chem Demil Team, and the 120 Tank Ammo Team. The IOC found that partnering effectiveness was enhanced by documenting the initiatives within partnering agreements among the senior leaders involved.

Implementation of the strategy has helped reduce resources and duplication of effort while improving efficiencies and customer satisfaction. Employee satisfaction has improved as a result of working as a team with contractor personnel. Many traditional management structures at the branch and division levels were eliminated, thereby significantly improving work flow and cycle time.

For more information see the Point of Contact for this survey.