President’s Message (2021 - 22)
Our members represent small and large businesses as well as government agencies. All are welcome to join and attend our meetings and events. A major thrust of our current program year will be revitalizing our membership and engaging with NCMA members old and new to build the chapter – not only in terms of sheer numbers but also in enthusiasm as measured by the number and quality of our chapter events.
Our program year 2021 – 22 will be a challenging one as we emerge from the shutdown and isolation of the pandemic and we all seek to establish the new “normal”. While the pandemic was a terrible experience there was a silver lining as government agencies, schools, and businesses developed and perfected alternate means of communicating and doing business. Be it Zoom, WebEx, Go to Meeting, or Teams we all became proficient at virtual meetings and learning events. Where we go now that restrictions are being lifted is a great unknown. One thing seems certain however – the future will be different from our past with hybrid and virtual meetings being more common.
The NCMA Rio Grande Chapter has – like almost everyone else – adapted to the new environment and with that change we are reexamining our programs, communications, and membership offerings to our members. As time goes by we will be rolling out revised offerings of our traditional favorites including Certification Study and Prep classes, educational events, and opportunities for our members to interact and socialize.
Recently, the NCMA’s Contract Management Standard was approved by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and adopted by the Department of Defense as the consensus standard for contract management noting that it complies with section 861 of the FY 2020 NDAA and directs that the DoD Competency Model for contracting be based upon it. What this means is still unanswered, but it is clear that the NCMA and our certification programs for CFCM, CPCM, CCCM, and our newest offering CCMA will be even more impactful on your career than ever.
Please refer to this website frequently for the latest updates concerning the Rio Grande Chapter – especially our upcoming events calendar and special website sections dealing with topical areas of interest including cybersecurity. Our team will be doing our best to provide you, our membership, with the best opportunities for professional development, education and training possible over the coming year. Please email me at president@ncmargc.org with your questions, comments, or suggestions. We want to hear from you!