Customers

Recently, Supply Chimp had the privilege of attending two significant events in Washington, D.C.—the AUSA (Association of the United States Army) Conference and the NIB/NAEPB (National Industries for the Blind and National Association for the Employment of People Who Are Blind) Annual Conference. Our leadership team—including our President, Joe McKenna; VP of Operations, Jeff Burwell; Director of Vendor Partnerships, Michael Weinstein; and VP of Business Development, Patrick Voller—attended to connect with partners and explore emerging trends in the government contracting space.

AUSA Conference: Advancing Defense and Readiness

The AUSA Conference centered around innovations in defense and readiness, showcasing cutting-edge technologies that enhance military capabilities. For Supply Chimp, this event highlighted the importance of building strong partnerships to ensure reliable delivery of supplies overseas and to diversify our product categories to meet the evolving needs of our government

Supply Chimp Insights

Supply Chimp recently attended the 2024 Global Force Symposium in Huntsville, Alabama, a major event for defense technology. Patrick Voller, VP of Business Development, and Joe McKenna, President, represented Supply Chimp, meeting key partners and seeing the latest in defense contracting and capabilities.

Unveiling Cutting-Edge Trends

Two big themes stood out: lots of companies showing off autonomous vehicles and the use of AR/VR for training.

In October 2023, Supply Chimp's leadership, including myself, Kris Colt (VP Revenue), and Mike Weinstein (Director of Vendor Partnerships), actively participated in the National Institute of the Blind's annual conference in Washington DC. Kris was invited to speak on a panel about supply chain integrity and performance, during which the GSA team emphasized the critical importance of contract delivery performance. Erv Koehler, Assistant Comissioner declared: Right now it's all about delivery, delivery, delivery." This challenge set the tone for Supply Chimp's New Year's Resolution in 2024: to achieve best-in-class contract performance. 

The Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) program is aligned to DoD’s information security requirements for DIB partners. It is designed to enforce protection of sensitive unclassified information that is shared by the Department with its contractors and subcontractors. The program provides the Department increased assurance that contractors and subcontractors are meeting the cybersecurity requirements that apply to acquisition programs and systems that process controlled unclassified information.

For military families, being separated for weeks, months or even years at a time is the norm. Thanks to the USPS and the APO/FPO shipping system, it’s possible for friends and family to send packages to loved ones serving far away. This guide is to assist anyone shipping items to servicemen overseas, or anyone receiving items at military bases. We’ll cover the APO/FPO system right down to proper packaging and labeling. It’s easier and more affordable than you might think, for a little piece of home to reach a loved one serving our country.

As part of our series on preventing frustrated freight and ensuring items’ arrival to those who need them, the MIL-129 standard is a very important subject to us. We spoke directly to Elsie Noriega, Supervisory General Supply Specialist for GSA’s management team, about the importance of MIL-129 and how it addresses GSA concerns.

Frustrated freight (FF) is defined as any shipment or package which is stopped on the shipping chain before delivery. This is often due to a mislabeling, shipping error, missing item, or other miscommunication. Once delayed, the freight may never reach its ultimate destination. Freight traveling through CCPs or Consolidation and Containerization Points is especially vulnerable. CCPs are managed by the Department of Defense (DoD). It is very easy for packages traveling through CCPs to get set aside waiting for relabeling or reshipment. Additional time is then taken to track down and properly label frustrated packages and get them back on the chain if possible.

Mailing items overseas can be time-consuming, but APO/FPO shipping makes it much faster and easier. However, there are a few precautions to keep in mind when shipping items through the military mailing system. In this article, we will explore the restrictions to be aware of when using this system.  CCPs can consume weeks or months of shipping time. Military mailboxes bypass them for faster, cheaper, and more secure shipping.

In order to mail items safely and securely through APO/FPO boxes, you’ll need to make sure that your package is properly labeled and packed. Improper labeling can cause the items to become frustrated. Those at military bases greatly depend on the items being delivered, and often wait many weeks or months for their arrival. Correct packing helps ensure that shipping will be more efficient and secure.

For military families, being separated for weeks, months or even years at a time is the norm. Thanks to the USPS and the APO/FPO shipping system, it’s possible for friends and family to send packages to loved ones serving far away. This guide is to assist anyone shipping items to servicemen overseas, or anyone receiving items at military bases. We’ll cover the APO/FPO system right down to proper packaging and labeling. It’s easier and more affordable than you might think, for a little piece of home to reach a loved one serving our country.