HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – Headquarters U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (HQUSACE) recertified Huntsville Center’s Facilities Explosives Safety Mandatory Center of Expertise (FES MCX) and Electronic Security Systems Mandatory Center of Expertise (ESS-MCX) on July 26. The Facility System Safety (FASS) Technical Center of Expertise (TCX) received its recertification from in June.
Col. Sebastien Joly, Huntsville Center commander, said recertification proves Huntsville Center employs a certified, professional workforce capable of continuing to provide solutions to unique, complex tasks in partnership with the USACE enterprise.
“Huntsville Center CXs are dedicated to helping grow a stronger USACE by setting the standard in our areas of expertise to have a positive impact as evidenced by the strength of our team of educated, trained, experienced, and certified professionals,” Joly said.
Centers of Expertise (CX) are designated U.S. Army Corps of Engineers organizations (District, Laboratory, or Center) demonstrating capability and expertise in a specialized area. CXs improve capabilities and management, eliminate redundancy, optimize the use of specialized expertise and resources, enhance USACE-wide consistency, facilitate technology transfer, help maintain institutional knowledge in key areas, and improve service to stakeholders.
A Mandatory Center of Expertise (MCX) is a USACE organization approved by HQUSACE as having a unique or exceptional technical capability in a specialized subject area that is critical to other USACE commands. Mandatory services to be rendered by an MCX are published in an Engineer Regulation and identified on the Technical Excellence Network. A CX receives its designation as an MCX when one or more services provided by the CX are mandatory and used by all USACE elements. An MCX may provide additional discretionary or voluntary products or services as authorized, like a TCX. However, its designation remains an MCX based on the mandatory component.
A Technical Center of Expertise (TCX) is a USACE organization approved by HQUSACE as having a unique or exceptional technical capability in a specialized subject area that is beneficial to other USACE commands.
Susan Hamilton, FES MCX lead, worked with the FES Team as well as HQUSACE proponent Rich Ludwitzke, to assemble, staff, and route the FES MCX recertification package.
Hamilton said in recent years the recertification process has been greatly simplified. However, the recertification process is “still no small task.”
“The most challenging aspect of the recertification process involved locating records from the previous five years of MCX workload and funding to illustrate the support provided and the increased use and support provided by the MCX,” Hamilton said.
“As a team we’ve been working for the past year to institute some processes to improve tracking of projects and potential projects. I couldn’t be more grateful for the support of the FES-MCX team in putting together years of records and information needed to document the great things we do in support of USACE and DoD projects.”
Per the recertification memo, the FES MCX continues to be productive and has unique and specialized capabilities as required in ER 1110-1-8169, which is currently being updated by Hamilton and the FES Team. The FES MCX eliminates redundancy, optimizes use of specialized expertise, improves services to USACE customers, and enhances Corps-wide consistency.
The ESS-MCX provides direct support to the Army, USACE or through other USACE programs and projects. Services include establishing and maintaining criteria documents, participating in planning activities and design charrettes, performing technical reviews (DD-1391s, designs, etc.), conducting site surveys, providing technical consulting, performing on-site quality verification and acceptance testing, providing support for contracting activities and conducting training.
The FASS TCX provides highly specialized engineering and safety expertise in facility systems safety and prevention through design (PTD). TCX personnel provide FASS project delivery team support to the USACE enterprise and training of FASS and PTD awareness, concepts, regulatory requirements, procedures, and Army objectives related to the FASS role, within the Army Safety Program, to reduce facility and system residual hazards and provide processes for life-cycle hazard risk management.