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Acquisition Workforce Spotlight: Jonathan Barkand, Defense Acquisition University

Jonathan Barkand

1. How long have you worked with the Defense Acquisition University (DAU), and what was your background before your current position?

I’ve been with DAU for nearly six years now. My background is in instructional technology which includes learning management systems (LMS), specifically for K–12 and adult learning. Previously I was designing courses and implementing a K-12 LMS for DoDEA’s Virtual High school. Which has been a theme throughout my career and I share my experience by teaching in higher education master’s degrees. I’ve been an adjunct with UMGC in the Masters of Distance Education and eLearning the last three years, which helps me keep my professor credentials active.

2. What are some of the major efforts you (and/or your team) are working on with DAU?

Recent major efforts entail onboarding and supporting additional LMS partners within the DAU environment. This includes assisting Defense Media Activity, Department of Defense Education Activity, Defense Threat Reduction Agency, Defense Security Cooperation University, Navy OPTEVFOR, Army Contracting Command, and the Federal Acquisition Institute. The partnerships have enabled these partners to integrate talent acquisition and development. Each partner has a large percentage of Defense Acquisition Workforce members, and now all employees only need to access one system to take their compliance training, upskill with commercial content, and maintain their certifications with DAU courses.

3. Tell us about one of your biggest successes achieved by you/your team/agency.

Perhaps one of my favorite accomplishments while working at DAU was the establishment of blanket purchase agreements (BPA). After a series of lessons learned in contracting, BPA’s were instrumental in delivering products that were within scope and delivered orders within 90 days, which I think is pretty fast in the acquisition world. This was accomplished by establishing split BPAs, one to fall under a supplier and another to fall under services. This made room for more efficient acquisition processes and significantly lowered the administrative fees for the contract. We also added BPA’s for our commercial content needs from LinkedIn Learning and Skillsoft Percipio, which is now available to Department of Defense members through the DAU Virtual Campus. I encourage you to read more about BPAs on GSA.gov or DAU.edu

4. What is the biggest challenge in your position supporting the acquisition workforce?

The biggest challenge is to make learning as frictionless as possible. I’ve been working the last 6 years to make access to DAU courses quick and efficient. You’ve seen this with the immediate and on-demand registration for online courses, and new concepts like open workshops using direct registration. The goal is to provide learning at the time of need as effectively and efficiently as possible. But I must always have a firm understanding of how the demands of the acquisition workforce vary over time and how to promptly address their needs in order to serve them to the best of my ability. 

5. What skills do you think are most critical to successfully perform your job?

I employ customer service, technical abilities, business process design and effective communication in order to be successful. Translating business needs to technical requirements is the most critical skill in the work that I do. But with changing technology and business priorities, being agile and open to change allows me to be successful.

6. What words of wisdom would you offer to your fellow acquisition workforce members?

Just because something hasn’t been done before, that doesn’t mean it should be ruled out of consideration. There could be a technical solution or adjustment to a business process that would make current processes and practices more efficient and effective. Saving your own time or your customers time is always valuable and is a finite supply that no BPA or contract can create more of.

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