ANALYSIS OF LEADERSHIP PERCEPTIONS AND CONTRACTING EFFICIENCY WITHIN THE UNITED STATES ARMY RHCO-A BEFORE AND DURING THE FY20 THROUGH FY21 COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Abstract

The researchers examined the contracting efficiency metrics and leadership perceptions of telework within the United States Army’s Regional Health Contracting Office-Atlantic (RHCO-A) before and during the onset of the FY20 through FY21 COVID-19 pandemic. The research identifies the perceptions, challenges, and successes of telework in the federal government before and after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. First, the study explores previous research on perceptions of telework before and during the COVID-19 pandemic along with a past report on contracting efficiency metrics within the U.S. Army. This research, along with a study on telework by the RAND Corporation, provide a foundation for the analysis of contracting efficiency metrics and leadership perceptions of telework within RHCO-A during the COVID-19 pandemic. Next, the analysis outlines RHCO-A’s contracting efficiency metrics before FY20 and after a mass shift to full time telework among the RHCO-A workforce. Third, the analysis compares the telework perceptions of RHCO-A leaders before and during FY20. The results highlight the impact of the shift to near 100 percent full-time telework on contracting leadership perceptions of telework. Last, the recommendations focus on the objective measures contracting leaders should use to guide future telework policies within their organizations.