On April 18, 2018, 27 interns from the Veterans Affairs Acquisition Academy (VAAA) in Frederick, MD — future 1102 Contract Specialists graduating from the 2018 Acquisition Intern Program — visited the Red Gate Group in Chantilly, VA for an industry offsite.

TJ Iak, President of Red Gate, gave an organizational overview and led discussions on how the company navigates the proposal and contracting process and selects teaming partners, followed by a group Q&A.

The offsite gives interns a vendor's perspective on the contracting process — from announcement and solicitation through award. VAAA interns attend industry offsites each year to better understand the customer's view of contracting.