PEO Perspective: February 2021

Happy February! In light of the recent change in presidential administrations, I’d like to kick off this month’s column by welcoming our new DOD, Army and Army acquisition leadership:

• Secretary of Defense, Hon. Lloyd J. Austin III
• Acting Secretary of the Army, Hon. John Whitely
• Acting Under Secretary of the Army/Chief Management Officer, Mr. Christopher Lowman
• Acting Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology (ASA(ALT)), and Acting Principal Deputy for ASA(ALT), Lt. Gen. Robert Marion
• Army Acquisition Executive, Ms. Rebecca Weirick

On a personal note, it was an honor serving under the Army’s former acquisition chief, Dr. Bruce Jette. Dr. Jette helped the Army make great strides in its modernization efforts and was a big proponent of using data for decision-making. We wish him all the best and look forward to continuing the Army’s work in those areas.

UPCOMING EVENTS

EBS-C Assumption of Charter and Industry Day

Speaking of modernization, we have a couple of important events coming up this month in support of the Army’s enterprise resource planning (ERP) modernization effort.

• On Feb. 3, we will officially stand up the Enterprise Business System – Convergence (EBS-C) product office within our Army Data and Analytics Platforms portfolio. As part of the Army's Enterprise Business System Multi-Functional Capabilities Team, a coalition established to plan and implement the Army's enterprise resource planning (ERP) modernization effort by 2027, EBS-C will be responsible for creating an acquisition strategy for the development and deployment of the Army’s modernized/converged ERP system. Congratulations to Jeannie Winchester on being named product lead for the EBS-C program! Jeannie previously served as product director for our General Fund Enterprise Business System – Sensitive Activities program.

• Just three weeks after we stand up EBS-C, we’re going to hold our first EBS-C Industry Day on Feb. 25 from 9 a.m. to noon on Microsoft Teams, Facebook and YouTube. EBS-C is seeking both ERP commercial-off-the-shelf software solutions to support 24 major capability areas, as well as capable systems integrators to support convergence with minimal customization. Learn more about or register for EBS-C Industry Day.

AIMMS Industry Day

Another important event for industry is coming up on Tuesday, Feb. 9 from 9-11:30 a.m. The Army Test and Evaluation Command (ATEC) Integrated Mission Management System (AIMMS) program is hosting a virtual Industry Day on Microsoft Teams, Facebook and YouTube.

AIMMS, which is managed by Maj. Melvin McDonald III, within our Global Force Information Management product office, is seeking qualified commercial development providers that are able to deliver a low-code/no-code, cloud-based software solution combining project and portfolio management, enterprise content management, workflow management, application integration and business intelligence/data analytics capabilities.

Following the industry day, AIMMS will host virtual 30-minute, one-on-one sessions with industry Wednesday, Feb. 10, and Thursday, Feb. 11. More information and a registration form can be found on the AIMMS Industry Day webpage.

OTHER NEWS OF NOTE

• I recently had the pleasure of participating in the Army Data Environments panel at AFCEA NOVA’s virtual Army IT Industry Days, Jan. 21-22. Among other topics, I discussed how PEO EIS is increasingly looking at artificial intelligence and machine learning software to aid data visualization and analysis. Learn more about our six top takeaways from the panel discussion.
• Congratulations to PEO EIS Executive Officer Zachary Schofield on his promotion to major on Feb. 1! Despite our remote working environment, Maj. Schofield has been my right-hand man since I joined EIS last May, and I am incredibly proud of his accomplishments.
• In commemoration of African American Heritage Month, we will be featuring notable Black Americans on our social media channels throughout February. At PEO EIS, we firmly believe our strength is our diversity, and we’re committed to maintaining a diverse and inclusive workplace.

Wishing you a safe and productive month ahead.

Ross R. Guckert, Program Executive Officer, PEO EIS

Connecting the Army. Working for Soldiers.