June 25, 2015
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division’s (NSWC Crane) Airborne Electronic Attack (AEA) Systems Division was awarded a Navy Special Achievement award on June 25, 2015. The Department of Defense (DoD) selected the division for the award because of a successful Value Engineering initiative for the Army Rapid Equipping Force.
Value Engineering is a DoD effort to continually analyze defense organizations, facilities and processes to determine the best relationship between worth and cost, and Value Engineering Achievement Awards provide an incentive for government and defense industry partners to improve the value of weapon systems and programs by promoting innovation and creativity. “Value Engineering is a critical component of our “Better Buying Power” initiative, with its focus on improving value and reducing cost throughout the lifecycle of U.S. defense systems. Everyone involved in the Value Engineering Program, especially those we are honoring today, add value to the DoD’s force structure and capability. For this reason, I cannot overstate the importance of using Value Engineering,” Principal Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Alan Estevez explained.
AEA Advanced Systems Development Electrical Engineer Kelly Norris accepted the special achievement award, which honored the division for utilizing technology developed for the EA-6B Prowler and EA-18G Growler to support the mission of the Army Rapid Equipping Force. The Value Engineering effort increased the force’s performance and reliability and resulted in $55.7 million in savings and cost avoidance.
The Value Engineering Achievement Awards Program provides an incentive for government and defense industry partners to improve the value of weapon systems and programs by promoting innovation and creativity. During FY 2014, the department executed in-house value engineering proposals and accepted contractor-initiated value engineering change proposals producing a combined actual savings and cost avoidance of $5.5 billion.