Fort Belvoir, Va. –
DCAA recently recognized auditors in five different categories for their achievements in 2021. The award winners are:
Mr. Walter (Rick) Hicks, Audit Manager of the Year, Lockheed Martin/BAE Corporate Audit Directorate. Mr. Hicks manages the Lockheed Martin Missile and Fire Control –Dallas Field Audit Office. This year he effectively championed DCAA’s services resulting in several new customers. His focus on communication and early coordination with customers led to a more efficient audit process with fewer days needed to complete audits. Finally, he engages with his staff to create connections that raise the level of motivation and performance in everyone.
Mr. Luis Mercado, Supervisory Auditor of the Year, Eastern Region. Mr. Mercado is a supervisor at the Herndon Branch Office. He challenges his team to improve their performance while meeting goals. In the last year, his team performed new types of audits, teamed with auditors from the Field Detachment, and developed innovative techniques to more efficiently perform audits, all while meeting the customers’ deadlines.
Mr. William Farrance, Auditor of the Year, Northrup Grumman Corporate Audit Directorate. Mr. Farrance works in the Northrop Grumman McLean Office where he has made an impact resulting in significant cost savings to the Government through questioned costs, negotiation support, and reduction of audit effort by using analytical methods and critical thinking. Mr. Farrance performed complex audits and developed clear and concise conclusions earning the praise of the contracting officer. He also willingly shares his knowledge of data analytics to help his coworkers become proficient.
Mr. Chance Williams, DCAA Technical Auditor of the Year, Boeing Corporate Audit Directorate. Mr. Williams is a technical specialist in the area of Forward Pricing and Truth in Negotiations. He developed two new tools to improve the efficiency of audits, one of which was shared across the Agency. He also consistently identifies the needs of the entire Directorate, coordinating or designing training, and then conducting training for the auditors. Mr. Williams is highly respected by the Directorate leadership team and is a frequent participant on ad-hoc teams and special projects. Finally, he is a coach for three new technical specialist sharing his knowledge to help them succeed.
Mr. Wesley Edwards, DCAA Auditor Trainee of the Year, Field Detachment. Mr. Edwards has been with DCAA for two years working in the Central Florida Branch Office. He has rapidly excelled displaying technical and leadership skills of a much more senior auditor. His office was tasked with auditing three proposals simultaneously and Mr. Edwards was assigned one. He completed his early audit and took over another for an auditor who became ill. Mr. Edwards essentially led the audit team and all three audits were completed on time. Mr. Edwards is also skilled in data analytics and routinely helps others. He is an outstanding team player and has grown tremendously in his short time with the Agency.