Survey lets suppliers rate their experience working with DLA

Suppliers that had contracts with the Defense Logistics Agency from August 2022 to July 2024 can rate their experience in the 2024 DLA Supplier Survey now through January.

The survey, now in its fourth iteration, was emailed Oct. 18 to about 12,000 vendors. It includes 31 questions, a section for written comments and should take 10-15 minutes to complete. Responses are anonymous.

Never has there been a greater need for a strong and resilient defense industrial base, DLA Director Army Lt. Gen. Mark Simerly said in a message to industry partners. Accelerating global challenges has shifted the focus, posture and strategy of America's armed forces.

"Close communications with you, our industry partners, is critical. We use this tool to determine what we're doing well and what we could be doing better. We need your candid feedback so that we can improve alignment of your capabilities with warfighter needs," he continued.

The survey measures suppliers' experience doing business with DLA in four areas: communications, effectiveness, supplier relationships, and growth and profit. It also features new questions about supply chain challenges, supplier surge capacity, capacity expansion barriers and contested logistics.

Tim Stark, DLA's chief of industry engagement and analysis, said the survey helps DLA stay abreast of suppliers' concerns and challenges. In the 2022 survey, DLA's average rating dropped to 3.34 from 3.41 in 2020, with the biggest decreases in timeliness and timely resolutions. Over 750 suppliers left comments indicating that issue resolution, responsiveness and communication were their biggest hurdles when working with DLA.

Supply chain representatives use the data to create action plans that target areas needing improvement. Since the 2022 survey, for example, DLA has worked to better share forecasts of business opportunities with industry and offered pre-solicitation and pre-proposal conferences. Small business training and outreach have increased as well.

Industry representatives can get more information about the survey by contacting the DLA Industry Engagement Office at [email protected].