WASHINGTON, June 30, 2016 — The Defense Department announced the recipients of the fiscal year 2015 DoD Value Engineering Achievement Awards June 28, according to a DoD news release.

Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Systems Engineering Kristen Baldwin, on behalf of Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics Frank Kendall, led the ceremony in the Pentagon auditorium to recognize exemplary value engineering accomplishments.

Exemplary Value Engineering Achievements

Baldwin presented awards to several military services and defense agencies: four to the Army, three to the Army Corps of Engineers, four to the Navy, one each to the Marine Corps and Air Force, five to the Defense Logistics Agency, one to the Defense Threat Reduction Agency and three to the Missile Defense Agency.

The department honored five individuals, eight teams, four projects/programs and five organizations for their significant fiscal year 2015 value engineering-related efforts that resulted in cost savings, cost avoidances, quality improvements or produced efficiencies for the DoD.

Value engineering was born out of innovative material and design alternatives that resulted from the material shortages of World War II. DoD uses value engineering to analyze supplies, services, buildings and systems to achieve best value, or the best relationship between worth and cost consistent with the required performance, quality and safety of essential functions.

Value engineering efforts reduce cost, speed delivery and enhance the performance of the equipment and services provided to America’s fighting forces. DoD realized $3.1 billion in cost savings and avoidances in fiscal year 2015 and continues to use value engineering to help programs execute within their resources.