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NEWS | Nov. 20, 2015

NAVSEA recognized for top support to small business

By NAVSEA Office of Corporate Communications

Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) received six of 13 awards for outstanding acquisition practices during the 2014 Department of the Navy Acquisition Excellence Awards ceremony at the Pentagon, Nov. 17.

Key among the awards presented by Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Acquisition Sean Stackley and Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson was the award presented to NAVSEA’s small business associate director, Sarkis Tatigian. Tatigian, the command’s most senior current employee, began his Navy career at the Philadelphia Navy Yard in 1942. Together with Commander Vice Adm. Willy Hilarides and Executive Director Bill Deligne, Tatigian accepted the Department of the Navy’s Secretary Cup, recognizing the command’s success in helping small businesses support the needs of Sailors and Marines.

Interestingly, this is Tatigian’s second time receiving this award. In December 1983 he received what was then known as the Secretary of the Navy Small Business Omnibus Award. His experience and influence in supporting defense contracting for small businesses led the Navy to rename its small business acquisition award in his honor in 2012. 

“There’s a lot of increased attention on what’s being done to provide products and services to the warfighters,” said Tatigian. “This focus represents a sustained interest and not just a passing thing, especially since there’s a lot of good to be derived from it, such as promoting innovation and increasing competition.”

At the ceremony, Tatigian presented the 2014 Sarkis Tatigian Award, to Capt. Francis Spencer and Diane Kostelecky on behalf of Naval Undersea Warfare Center, Division Keyport for increasing their small business contracts to 31.2 percent as well as exceeding their fiscal year 2014 goal for contracts with service disabled veteran owned small businesses by 9.9 percent.

“These awardees are “the pinnacle of how to get it right,” said Richardson.

Other NAVSEA acquisition award recipients included representatives from Naval Surface Warfare Carderock, Naval Surface Warfare Center, Indian Head Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technology Division, and PEO Ships.

“Looking at all of the NAVSEA awardees, it’s clear to me that we’re moving in the right direction when it comes to developing the talent needed to achieve our mission,” said Deligne.

NAVSEA designs, builds, delivers and maintains ships and systems on time and on cost for the U.S. Navy. NAVSEA is the largest of the Navy's five system commands. With a fiscal year budget of nearly $30 billion, NAVSEA accounts for one quarter of the Navy's entire budget.