PANAMA CITY, Fla. –
Vincent Tomasi, contracting officer at Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City Division (NSWC PCD), received the Navy Civilian Service Commendation Medal, Dec. 14.
Tomasi, who has been affiliated with the military for nearly 40 years, has provided his contracting expertise to NSWC PCD for the last seven years.
“Vince was always willing to make personal sacrifices to go the extra mile to ensure purchase orders were awarded ahead of schedule, follow-up on outstanding deliverables, train new personnel, and the timely obligation of expiring funds,” stated NSWC PCD Deputy Chief of Contracts Jenetta Langston. “During his tenure, Vince’s actions epitomized excellence and professionalism. He has been a great asset to the command and specifically the contracting office—job well done!”
Capt. David Back, NSWC PCD commanding officer, presented this award surprising Tomasi at the contracting department Christmas luncheon.
“This was a complete surprise. I work with a lot of talented people and to be singled out as a Navy medal recipient is humbling,” said Tomasi.
“I prioritize recognition of exceptional performance at NSWC PCD because I believe it reinforces a culture of excellence that the workforce enjoys being a part of,” says Back. “Recognizing those like Vincent, who accomplish the difficult, behind-the-scenes logistics allows our command to serve the Fleet and is vital to making our command a model organization.”
During his time within the small purchasing branch, Tomasi was responsible for issuing more than 450 contract actions valued at $27 million. His leadership and business acumen served him well as he often remained in the office to complete tasks for his position, while also obtaining supervisory responsibilities when his supervisor was promoted.
“I will admit that taking on the extra responsibility created longer days than I had anticipated, however, the entire contracting team worked diligently to keep the SAP Office functioning to get the contracts out as quickly as possible,” said Tomasi. “Stepping into that role allowed me to learn a great deal about what the supervisor responsibilities entailed, which was very helpful when sharing [information] with the replacement supervisor.”
Tomasi kicked off the start of his retirement with parting words of encouragement for those within the field.
“For all acquisition personnel, remember to always keep the warfighter, the taxpayer and yourself in mind. Get the warfighter what they need in a timely manner by providing products and services that are cost effective while following the legal procedures necessary," stated Tomasi.