Posted on November 26, 2024
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Honolulu District Contracting Office earned multiple honors for excellence in contracting and small business partnerships during the Excellence in Contracting Awards Program (ECAP) ceremony yesterday at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans, Louisiana. The ceremony coincided with the Society of American Military Engineers’ annual Small Business Conference.
The Honolulu District Contracting Office received the 2024 Team of the Year award for supporting the Maui wildfire debris removal mission. Contracting Office Chief Tristin Suetsugu was named Contracting Professional of the Year. The district also secured recognition for the highest Small Disadvantaged Business (SDB) Award by dollar value and the largest year-over-year increase in small business awards.
“It has been a privilege to support the Honolulu District and watch our team receive the award for the Maui Wildfire Debris Removal Mission, the most challenging yet rewarding work I have ever undertaken,” said David Neal, Senior Procurement Analyst / Contracting Officer for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Pacific Ocean Division. “Our team collaborated seamlessly, overcoming obstacles to ensure the timely awarding of critical contracts and task orders. This award recognizes our collective dedication and exceptional teamwork in addressing a crisis of unprecedented scale.”
In fiscal year 2024, the Honolulu District Contracting Office set a record with $1.5 billion in awards, executing over 480 contract actions. Of these, $990 million supported Maui wildfire recovery, with more than half awarded to Hawaiian-based small businesses and Native Hawaiian Organizations.
The district has historically prioritized partnerships with Native Hawaiian Organizations and local small businesses, recognizing their critical role in the regional economy. Early in the wildfire recovery, it awarded a direct 8(a) contract to a local Hawaiian firm to provide cultural and historical support.
The 8(a) “sole source” contract is a competitive small business contract which receives its authority through Section 8(a) of the Small Business Act. The federal government’s goal of the 8(a) Business Development program is to support small, disadvantaged businesses each year.
The resulting Cultural Hui—a team of community leaders, cultural practitioners, architects, and archaeologists—ensured debris removal respected the Native Hawaiian community’s heritage and history.
Native Hawaiian cultural advisors worked alongside debris teams to safeguard cultural sites, marking the first USACE debris mission to incorporate cultural oversight. This milestone accelerated the Personal Property Debris Removal Program, putting the mission months ahead of its January 2025 deadline.
ECAP awards celebrate outstanding achievements within the USACE contracting workforce, particularly those advancing the Campaign Plan Objective 4c3: “Improve Acquisition Execution with Policy, Processes, and Certified Professionals.”
Small Business Awards
Team of the Year: Honolulu District; Maui Wildfire Debris Removal Mission
Contracting Professional of the Year: Tristin Suetsugu, Honolulu District
Overall Highest Small Disadvantaged Business (SDB) Award by Dollar: Honolulu District
FY24 District/Center with largest dollar award to Small Business (Districts/Centers Greater than $400M annual obligations): Honolulu District
FY24 Largest increase in Small Business from past fiscal year by dollars: Honolulu District
Overall Highest FY24 Small Disadvantaged Business (SDB) Award by Dollar: Pacific Ocean Division
Lt. Col. Adrian Biggerstaff (second from the right), Honolulu District Commander, receives an award from Lieutenant General William H. Graham (second from the left), 56th Chief of Engineers and Commanding General, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Command Sergeant Major Douglas Galick (far right), 15th Command Sergeant Major, and Mr. Denver Heath, Director of Contracting, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (left) during a contracting and small business partnerships awards ceremony on Nov. 20 at the Ernest N. Morial Convention center in New Orleans, Louisiana.
