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A Big Idea and a Bigger Check

NAVSEA News Wire

Release Date: 4/30/2004

By JO1 (SW) Mike Kramer USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) Public Affairs

USS DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER -- By taking the initiative and overhauling equipment themselves, nine Sailors from USS Dwight D. Eisenhower's (CVN 69) Combat Systems Department helped move the ship closer to the day when "Ike Reloaded" will become a reality.

They got to watch their project evolve, all the while experiencing the sort of pride that comes only with parenthood and professional accomplishment. And when the money for their beneficial suggestion came in, they got to split $5,000.

The project was to overhaul the ship's AM-3729/SR amplifiers, LS-474/U speakers, Type G telephones, AN/BQH bathythermographs and electrical workbenches aboard Ike, rather than sending them to contractors for overhaul or purchasing new or refurbished equipment. The total savings to the Navy: $600,481.

"Not only was it a cost savings of hundreds of thousands of dollars, but it also allowed us to control the flow of work and let us do the installation in a timely and logical manner as opposed to trying to fit it into someone else's plan of attack," said Cmdr. Rick Strickland, Ike's combat systems officer.

USS Dwight D. Eisenhower's Commanding Officer Capt. Charles Smith paid a visit to the warehouse Aug. 20 to present the checks. At that time, he pointed out that there could be more money to come if other commands adopted the idea.

"The beneficial suggestion is being routed up the chain of command for further review and possible further awards," Smith said.

Local activity heads can approve Beneficial Award amounts of up to $5000.00. The Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) Human Resources Programs Branch, Washington Navy Yard, Washington, D.C. is where Beneficial Suggestions are sent if an individual has a suggestion to improve the design, operation, or maintenance of ships, submarines and their components, which has an impact larger than a local activity. Miriam R. Slantis, NAVSEA Awards Program Administrator explains, "NAVSEA conducts a technical evaluation and determines applicability and potential cost savings. Suggestions, which merit recognition through cash awards, between $5001.00 and $10,000.00, can be approved by COMNAVSEA. If the anticipated savings are greater than $10,000.00 and NAVSEA's technical authority determines the suggestion warrants consideration for Navy-wide use, it endorses and forwards the suggestion to the Defense Awards Review Board (DARP) for further review and a possible additional monetary award. "

If the panel approves the suggestion for Fleet-wide use, it is sent to The Secretary of the Navy for signature.

The Eisenhower project involved stripping, sandblasting, powder coating, reassembling, and testing all the equipment prior to reinstallation.

"I'm really proud of us for getting to this point," said Petty Officer 2nd Class Electronics Technician (SW) Ann Ferguson of Combat Systems. "When we got to the warehouse, we had four brick walls and a concrete floor. Now, we've already turned over all the speakers and amplifiers for reinstallation and they're currently being reinstalled. In fact, some are already in place. It's nice to see our completed product. What makes it even better is that other carriers are going to come in after us and duplicate our work, so the precedent we set is going to live on well after Ike goes back to sea."

"I wasn't doing it for the money," insisted Petty Officer 3rd Class Electronics Technician Nadia Griffin-Johnson. "It was an opportunity to work in my rate, which we don't very often get while we're in the shipyards, so I was happy to get that chance. I'm proud to have been part of something that seemed so small at the time, but apparently had such a great impact on the Navy."

The Department of the Navy Suggestion Program is designed to recognize employees or groups of employees for ideas that benefit the Navy or Marine Corps through cost avoidance or cost savings. Any employee or private citizen is eligible to submit a suggestion. As the program's name implies, an item submitted for review "suggests" a course of action to correct a specific problem, improve upon the quality, or create a new approach/method. A suggestion points out a problem and recommends a solution.

"The use of awards to motivate employees to provide ideas which benefit employers has a long history. The first know formal incentives system was installed in a Dumbarton (Scotland) shipyard in 1880. Yale & Towne Manufacturing Company and National Cash Register Company inaugurated the idea in this country in the mid-1880's and in 1894, respectively. The U.S. Government entered the field on 17 July 1912 with a suggestion program for workers in the Army's ordnance shops. A more comprehensive program was initiated in 1919 for the Department of the Navy under Acting Secretary of the Army, Franklin D. Roosevelt.