Naval Sea Systems Command office of corporate communications (May 6, 2006): NAVSEA naval officer recognized for excellence.

WASHINGTON -- Lt. Cmdr. Kristin Acquavella was presented the Meritorious Service Medal by Vice Adm. Paul E. Sullivan, commander, Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA), and also honored with the Elmer Staats Young Acquisition Professional Excellence Award by retired Army Gen. William G. Tuttle Jr., chairman of the Procurement Roundtable (PRT), April 24 at the NAVSEA Management Information Center.

Acquavella received the recognition for her outstanding meritorious service to the Navy and for her outstanding performance as a submarine contracting officer at NAVSEA and at the Multinational Force Iraq (MNFI) Headquarters in Baghdad.

"Lt. Cmdr. Acquavella's exceptional competence, leadership, and determination are an inspiration to the members of the acquisition workforce," said Sullivan.

Acquavella is also the first Navy Department recipient and the first military officer to be awarded the PRT's Elmer B. Staats Young Acquisition Professional Excellence Award.

"This is the first time any military officer or Navy department official has received this prestigious award, and we are immensely proud of Lt. Cmdr. Acquavella," said Capt. Richard Sweeney, NAVSEA deputy commander for contracts (NAVSEA 02). "She is one of the finest naval officers I have ever known."

The Elmer B. Staats award, named for the former PRT chairman and former U.S. comptroller general, annually recognizes a junior federal acquisition professional who has contributed significantly to acquisition operations or acquisition policy. The recipient receives a plaque and a $5,000 monetary award.

Acquavella's nomination and award were based on two significant accomplishments. First, she volunteered to fill a six-month contingency contracting assignment as chief of MNFI's Baghdad contracting office. While in Iraq, she awarded 1,300 contracts valued at $165 million in support of 60,000 coalition forces. She performed her duties while being constantly exposed to hostile rocket and mortar attacks.

Second, as the procuring contracting officer for the NAVSEA "Submarine Factory," she provided significant savings to the government through her management of the contracts for the repairs and overhaul of submarines. She awarded the first competitively-bid depot maintenance period contract valued at $174 million and two major submarine overhauls valued at $82.8 million. She became the driving force behind a decision not to award a sole-source submarine overhaul contract to a private shipyard, shifting the availability to a public shipyard and saving the Navy more than $60 million.

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