SSP Hosts Contracting Excellence Workshop

08 July 2025

From Thomas Jones

WASHINGTON - On June 10-11, Strategic Systems Programs (SSP) contract specialists led a Contracting Excellence Workshop at Maritime Plaza to raise awareness about contracting requirements specific to SSP and the Navy.

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“While the training is geared toward employees who are involved in contracting in any capacity, those who don’t work with contracts can still attend and will gain an understanding of some pretty fundamental skills involved in a process that defines a significant amount of the work we do at SSP,” said Emily Allen-Shaw, Deputy Director, Plans and Programs Division at SSP.

SSP’s role in fielding the nation’s sea based strategic deterrence capabilities requires the command to be laser focused on excellence across the acquisitions process. Contracting is one of the most critical aspects of an acquisition command, highlighting the importance of consistent training and skills improvement.

“Budgets and contracts are at the center of everything we do at SPHQ. Efficient and effective contracting processes will ensure we are able to complete critical work with our industry partners to provide affordable, safe, and secure sea based strategic deterrence solutions for our nation,” Allen-Shaw said.

Allen-Shaw coordinated the workshop and aimed to create an environment of effective learning for all attendees, regardless of position or tenure. During the workshop SSP employees gained valuable insight and knowledge about the contracting process.

“The purpose of the training is to establish a standard baseline of excellence for key elements of the contracting process: fact finding, technical evaluations, and statements of work. We are hoping that attendees take away two things: an understanding of what ‘good’ looks like across these three elements, and a knowledge of the resources and support that are available to them to reinforce this standard of excellence,” Allen-Shaw said.

Developed from lessons learned in previous, smaller-scale trainings, the workshop was led by a training cohort made of up instructors with decades of combined experience in the field of contracting. “I cannot say enough about our Contracting Excellence training team. These remarkable professionals hail from different branches across SPHQ and have experience in all facets of the contracting process. They have willingly and passionately dedicated their time, experience, and talents to help make our SSP team better,” Allen-Shaw said.

The workshop featured presentations, demonstrations, and group activities, designed to facilitate in-depth understanding of the contracting process. “We have an exceptionally dedicated team that is always working to ensure they are ready to support our mission at their best. I am grateful for their enthusiasm and engagement during trainings and workshops,” Allen-Shaw said.

Interest in the workshop proved to be plentiful, with two forty-person sessions rapidly filling up after they were opened for registration. “This training had incredible support from our senior leadership, so I did expect a solid level of participation. Having said that, I was so excited by the level of enthusiasm and support the training received,” Allen-Shaw said. “Not only did we have waitlists for each day of the training, I’ve also received several inquiries about when the next session will be taking place. I am constantly impressed by the commitment of the SSP team.”

The attendees weren’t the only ones to walk away knowing more than they came in with, and the training team intends to use the lessons they learned to improve future workshops. “The training is designed to evolve to meet the needs of the SSP team. With this in mind, the training team is constantly assessing what works well in the presentation. The intent is for this constant evolution to continue so we ensure the training is always relevant and impactful,” Allen-Shaw said.

For those with an interest in participating in these future workshops or participating in related trainings, there are more opportunities forthcoming. “Going forward, the intent is to hold these trainings every three-to-six months, with supplemental support offered in between,” Allen-Shaw said.

SSP is focused on supporting the warfighter through acquisition excellence as the command responsible for sustaining strategic weapon system (SWS) on the Ohio-class ballistic missile submarines (SSBN) and supporting the integration of the D5LE weapon system on the new Columbia-class SSBNs. Looking to the future, SSP is integral to nuclear triad modernization with the development of the D5LE2 SWS and creating regional strike capabilities with the development of the nuclear sea launched cruise missile (SLCM-N) and the non-nuclear hypersonic conventional prompt strike system (CPS).

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SSP Hosts Contracting Excellence Workshop

From Thomas Jones