A MONTHLY PUBLICATION May 2022 | Issue 5

Welcome to the AMSGazette’s fifth issue – we’re glad you’re here! 

This month, I am privileged to share three stories of service with you.

The first is our newest contract for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). DHS has awarded AMSG a Task Order to support Operation Allies Welcome (OAW), a high visibility, must-succeed effort to safely resettle thousands of vulnerable Afghans. At AMSG, we hold as a Core Value, the idea that each one of us has the ability to be part of something bigger than ourselves. With the DHS Operation Allies Welcome award, we embark on one of AMSG’s most important missions in our history. There aren’t too many missions more important in this world than caring for those who have been forced to flee their homeland. Therefore, we are proud to support DHS and the other federal agencies involved, including the Department of Defense, State Department and several NGOs, in this complex, impactful undertaking. Read the full press release here. 

Our second story is about recent support given to the General Federation of Women’s Clubs of Virginia (GFWC Virginia) in reaching their goal of raising $35,000 for the Armed Services YMCA to purchase a bus to transport children of military families to daily childcare. You can read more about this below.  

Lastly,  during a recent visit to the Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD, I was honored to assist in facilitating the Character Capstone Project for the soon-to-be-graduating seniors.

It was wonderful to be in the same room with fellow classmates from my class of 1989 and to be part of a conversation about Character, Leadership, Core Values, and so much more.

Based on my interactions with the Class of ‘22, as we discussed numerous case studies drawn from real-world scenarios, I am highly confident of the security of our country and the safety of our nation’s most valuable treasure - our sons and daughters who enlist in our armed forces each day.  

In this month’s AMSGazette, we share AMSG's celebration of the Month of the Military Child with our contribution to the GFWC Virginia and Armed Services YMCA, our recent successful ISO audit and information about AMSG's implementation of ServiceNOW at the Defense Health Agency (DHA.)

We thank you for taking the time to read up on AMSG and, as always, we welcome your input. Please feel free to email us at amessenger@amsgcorp.net with ideas, news, or even just to say hello; and share our newsletter with colleagues you think might want to learn about what is happening at AMSG and in the government contracting industry right now.

Have a wonderful month! 

Written by: Chrissie Constable, Marketing/BD/Proposal Coordinator (Pictured)

During the past year, the General Federation of Women’s Clubs of Virginia (GFWC Virginia) set out to raise $35,000 for the Armed Services YMCA. To help them reach their final fundraising goal, AMSG donated $6,765.59. On April 21st, we held a ceremony at the AMSG headquarters. Mr. Bill French, CEO of the Armed Services YMCA, and Dale Fisher, President of the GFWC Virginia, were attendance as we presented the GFWC Virginia with the donation check.

“AMSG is thrilled to support GFWC Virginia and the Armed Services YMCA as they initiate a new service providing transportation to military families allowing the parents to seek job opportunities in the Hampton Roads area. At AMSG we understand that military families need safe, affordable, transportation options to childcare so that they can focus on the mission, whether the mission is a military member on deployment, or a military spouse seeking employment to earn an income and support their families, and/or advancing their careers and dreams. In a nutshell, we can draw a direct line from the purchase of a bus to the strengthening of our nation." – Jim O’Farrell, AMSG President and CEO

Read the article to learn more and to learn how you can get involved with the GFWC Virginia or the Armed Services YMCA.

AMSG Passes Second ISO 9001 Certificate Audit  

Written by: Sandra Magura, Quality Manager (Pictured)

AMSG is pleased to announce that we have successfully renewed our ISO Certification in 2022. In April 2020, AMSG received the ISO 9001:2015 Certificate for providing a Quality Management System (QMS) for management functions, including capabilities development, acquisition package preparation, business operations assistance, facilities and SharePoint knowledge management, data governance and management, and logistics assistance and facilities management.

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO), an independent, non-governmental international organization, first published the ISO 9001 in 1987. Since their founding in 1946, they have established standards across almost every industry to ensure the quality, safety, and efficiency of products, services, and systems within organizations. 

While there are over 20,000 standards, the ISO 9001 certification is “the international standard that specifies requirements for a QMS” and demonstrates “the ability to provide products and services that meet customer and regulatory requirements.” To verify QMS and ISO requirements are upheld, organizations are audited in years one and two after the initial certification, and then every three years for recertification. AMSG’s second audit concluded on April 22, 2022. Preparation for the audit spanned six months. During that time, we made improvements to our QMS, documents, and operating procedures. 

As a result, our auditor found zero non-conformances and has recommended AMSG for four best practices, including: Quality Management, Proposal Management, Contract Management, and Facilities Security. Out of the 175 audits our auditor completed last year, only 12 got best practices.

Our auditor stated that we are “one of the most prepared companies he has ever worked with”. We are proud of our QMS’s success and honored to receive this recognition and praise – way to go AMSG Team!

Implementation of and Transition to ServiceNow 

Written by: Tracy Strickland, SR Finance SME (Pictured L) &

Andres Garcia, Program Analyst (Pictured R)

The Defense Health Agency’s (DHAs) Infrastructure and Operations Division (IOD) has adopted a new system for tracking Purchase Request (PR) packages called MHS ServiceNow within their Lifecycle Management Services Branch (LCMS) that validates and tracks all hardware (HW) and software (SW) procurements, renewals, and fixes.

Click below to read more about ServiceNow.