Veteran-Owned | Woman-Owned | 31+ Years of Contracting Expertise
Mrs. Deanna “Dee” R. Grimshaw, or as some would say, the artist formally known as Dee Cox, is the owner of the Grimshaw Consulting Group.
Dee has over 31 years of Contracting and Program Management experience with the Department of Defense. Throughout her career she established a reputation for her candor, unparalleled dedication, exceptional character, and true grit. She has proven herself as an elite contracting professional trusted with some of USSOCOM’s most challenging projects, demonstrating incomparable work ethic and service before self in her tireless drive to support the warfighter.
Dee started her 31-year contracting career in 1993 as an Airman Basic in the United States Air Force (USAF) at Lowry AFB, CO. While enlisted in the Air Force, she supported several military installations both CONUS and OCONUS and performed in a wide variety of operational contracting specialties such as construction, services, architect–engineer services, and commodity procurements. She was honorably discharged from the USAF in 2001 and immediately began her civilian contracting career, leaving Yokota AB, Japan and moving to Columbus, MS where she was eventually promoted to Division Chief for the sole Acquisition Division. There she managed all aspects of a 22-person division responsible for all contract actions in support of the 14th Flying Training Wing.
In 2007, she transferred to the Directorate of Procurement, Special Operations Forces Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics (SOF AT&L) Center, at Headquarters U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM). She started her SOCOM career in the HQ Services Division, where she quickly earned her Unlimited Warrant, obligating $175M in funding over 640 contract actions with a total award value of $1.8B in just the first 2 years. She then excelled as the Procuring Contracting Officer (PCO) for the $1.5B Global Battlestaff and Program Support (GBPS) source selection, which was the command’s largest AA&S Multiple Award vehicle at that time.
In 2012 was promoted to last Government held position as Division Chief for the Intelligence and Information Services Division (KI) within the Directorate of Procurement. In this role she led a team of 12-14 contracting professionals and directed over 7,900 contract actions to obligate $6.1B procuring special operations-peculiar equipment, services, and research & development efforts primarily in support of Program Executive Office (PEO) -Tactical Information Systems (PEO-TIS).
Dee was widely known throughout the command as the preeminent source selection expert. She frequently assisted other contracting division chiefs and field office chiefs from across the USSOCOM contracting enterprise and the Acquisition Executive and Director of Procurement routinely requested her support to teach source selection procedures to others in both formal and informal settings.
In 2012 she was hand-picked by the USSOCOM Acquisition Executive to serve as the PCO for the command’s first Preservation of the Force and Family (POTFF)'s Resiliency and Human Performance Programs Support contract. She led the development of a complex and urgent acquisition strategy and written acquisition plan, which were approved within two weeks of her appointment. Her technical competence and dedication resulted in the award of a $475M contract in a mere 90 days after receipt of proposals, ahead of schedule, without protest, and earning praise from all offerors for a fair evaluation and thorough, transparent feedback. Her actions ensured the timely delivery of 489 full-time-equivalent contractors to support the commander’s Preservation of the Force and Family initiative, building physical and behavioral resilience across the command. Due to the successful execution, she was requested once again to lead the follow-on POTFF source selection in 2018 which resulted in another tremendous success and one of the smoothest service contract transitions the Command had experienced.
However, her crowning achievement was the $8B Special Operations Forces Global Logistics Support Services (SOF GLSS) source selection, she built the acquisition strategy and plan for the which was briefed to the DPCAP Director, Peer Review Team, and the SOCOM Acquisition Executive. Due to small size and relative lack of source selection experience across the team, it required the team to work countless hours and take on multiple roles to maintain schedule. Dee personally reviewed and/or drafted over 600 pages of source selection documents which included an extensive and very detailed SSAC Report, which she then briefed to the SSA securing a final decision. This was USSOCOM’s most intricate and largest dollar value source selection to date and impacts all 12 subordinate Commands and every major weapon system in the SOF inventory. Despite facing numerous obstacles during the process, the team remarkably received no protests, was praised by both Industry and DoD’s highest contracting officials who cited numerous best practices, and maintained the original schedule enabling the on-time start of transition activities for over 3,000 contractor employees worldwide.
Over the course of her 18-year career at USSOCOM, she personally executed 1085 contract actions, with a total award value of $3.6B. In total she served as PCO or source selection advisory council (SSAC) chairperson leading 16 major source selections with a combined value of $16.4B to deliver critical technology and services to the United States, allied, and partner nation special operations forces across the globe. In addition to those named above, these included three separate Targeted Requirements Execution (TREX) efforts, Handheld Tactical Radios, Manpack Radios, and Satellite Deployable Node (SDN)-L source selections.
Dee earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration and Management from the University of Maryland and her Master’s degree in Acquisition Management from American Graduate University. She held both USAF and SOCOM unlimited warrants for over 24 years and is certified at Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act (DAWIA) Level III in Contracting and Level I in Program Management.
Dee’s remarkable achievements were recognized with an Outstanding Civilian Career Service Award, Exemplary Civilian Service Medal, three Civilian Special Act or Service awards, three USSOCOM Competition Achievement awards, two USSOCOM Acquisition Innovator-Team awards, one USSOCOM Acquisition Adapter-Individual award, three USSOCOM Acquisition Adapter-Team Awards, two USSOCOM Outstanding Contracting Division Awards, USSOCOM Outstanding Senior Contracting Professional of the Year, Secretary of the Air Force Professionalism in Contracting Air Education and Training Command (AETC), AETC Civilian of the Year, and Pacific Air Forces Contracting Professional of the Year.
Empowering Local Businesses to Thrive
Mrs. Deanna “Dee” R. Grimshaw, or as some would say, the artist formally known as Dee Cox, is the owner of the Grimshaw Consulting Group.
Dee has over 31 years of Contracting and Program Management experience with the Department of Defense. Throughout her career she established a reputation for her candor, unparalleled dedication, exceptional character, and true grit. She has proven herself as an elite contracting professional trusted with some of USSOCOM’s most challenging projects, demonstrating incomparable work ethic and service before self in her tireless drive to support the warfighter.
Dee started her 31-year contracting career in 1993 as an Airman Basic in the United States Air Force (USAF) at Lowry AFB, CO. While enlisted in the Air Force, she supported several military installations both CONUS and OCONUS and performed in a wide variety of operational contracting specialties such as construction, services, architect–engineer services, and commodity procurements. She was honorably discharged from the USAF in 2001 and immediately began her civilian contracting career, leaving Yokota AB, Japan and moving to Columbus, MS where she was eventually promoted to Division Chief for the sole Acquisition Division. There she managed all aspects of a 22-person division responsible for all contract actions in support of the 14th Flying Training Wing.
In 2007, she transferred to the Directorate of Procurement, Special Operations Forces Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics (SOF AT&L) Center, at Headquarters U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM). She started her SOCOM career in the HQ Services Division, where she quickly earned her Unlimited Warrant, obligating $175M in funding over 640 contract actions with a total award value of $1.8B in just the first 2 years. She then excelled as the Procuring Contracting Officer (PCO) for the $1.5B Global Battlestaff and Program Support (GBPS) source selection, which was the command’s largest AA&S Multiple Award vehicle at that time.
In 2012 was promoted to last Government held position as Division Chief for the Intelligence and Information Services Division (KI) within the Directorate of Procurement. In this role she led a team of 12-14 contracting professionals and directed over 7,900 contract actions to obligate $6.1B procuring special operations-peculiar equipment, services, and research & development efforts primarily in support of Program Executive Office (PEO) -Tactical Information Systems (PEO-TIS).
Dee was widely known throughout the command as the preeminent source selection expert. She frequently assisted other contracting division chiefs and field office chiefs from across the USSOCOM contracting enterprise and the Acquisition Executive and Director of Procurement routinely requested her support to teach source selection procedures to others in both formal and informal settings.
In 2012 she was hand-picked by the USSOCOM Acquisition Executive to serve as the PCO for the command’s first Preservation of the Force and Family (POTFF)'s Resiliency and Human Performance Programs Support contract. She led the development of a complex and urgent acquisition strategy and written acquisition plan, which were approved within two weeks of her appointment. Her technical competence and dedication resulted in the award of a $475M contract in a mere 90 days after receipt of proposals, ahead of schedule, without protest, and earning praise from all offerors for a fair evaluation and thorough, transparent feedback. Her actions ensured the timely delivery of 489 full-time-equivalent contractors to support the commander’s Preservation of the Force and Family initiative, building physical and behavioral resilience across the command. Due to the successful execution, she was requested once again to lead the follow-on POTFF source selection in 2018 which resulted in another tremendous success and one of the smoothest service contract transitions the Command had experienced.
However, her crowning achievement was the $8B Special Operations Forces Global Logistics Support Services (SOF GLSS) source selection, she built the acquisition strategy and plan for the which was briefed to the DPCAP Director, Peer Review Team, and the SOCOM Acquisition Executive. Due to small size and relative lack of source selection experience across the team, it required the team to work countless hours and take on multiple roles to maintain schedule. Dee personally reviewed and/or drafted over 600 pages of source selection documents which included an extensive and very detailed SSAC Report, which she then briefed to the SSA securing a final decision. This was USSOCOM’s most intricate and largest dollar value source selection to date and impacts all 12 subordinate Commands and every major weapon system in the SOF inventory. Despite facing numerous obstacles during the process, the team remarkably received no protests, was praised by both Industry and DoD’s highest contracting officials who cited numerous best practices, and maintained the original schedule enabling the on-time start of transition activities for over 3,000 contractor employees worldwide.
Over the course of her 18-year career at USSOCOM, she personally executed 1085 contract actions, with a total award value of $3.6B. In total she served as PCO or source selection advisory council (SSAC) chairperson leading 16 major source selections with a combined value of $16.4B to deliver critical technology and services to the United States, allied, and partner nation special operations forces across the globe. In addition to those named above, these included three separate Targeted Requirements Execution (TREX) efforts, Handheld Tactical Radios, Manpack Radios, and Satellite Deployable Node (SDN)-L source selections.
Dee earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration and Management from the University of Maryland and her Master’s degree in Acquisition Management from American Graduate University. She held both USAF and SOCOM unlimited warrants for over 24 years and is certified at Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act (DAWIA) Level III in Contracting and Level I in Program Management.
Dee’s remarkable achievements were recognized with an Outstanding Civilian Career Service Award, Exemplary Civilian Service Medal, three Civilian Special Act or Service awards, three USSOCOM Competition Achievement awards, two USSOCOM Acquisition Innovator-Team awards, one USSOCOM Acquisition Adapter-Individual award, three USSOCOM Acquisition Adapter-Team Awards, two USSOCOM Outstanding Contracting Division Awards, USSOCOM Outstanding Senior Contracting Professional of the Year, Secretary of the Air Force Professionalism in Contracting Air Education and Training Command (AETC), AETC Civilian of the Year, and Pacific Air Forces Contracting Professional of the Year.