Mark.J.Lumer
Principal Assistant For Contracting
U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense U.S. Army U.S U.S, Army
Command (SMDC)

Between November 2003 and July 2004, Mr. Lumer served as the Assistant Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army (Policy and Procurement)- Iraq. In this capacity, Mr. Lumer had overall procurement policy responsibility for all Army contracts issued in support of Iraqi reconstruction. At the request of the Secretary of Defense and the Acting Secretary of the Army, Mr. Lumer personally conducted two on-site assessments of Army contracting in Iraq during January and February, 2004. Mr. Lumer’s responsibilities included briefing members of Congress and responding to foreign governments and media inquiries. On August 24, 2004 the Deputy Secretary of Defense presented Mr. Lumer with a Leadership Award for his efforts in supporting Iraqi Reconstruction.

On April 6, 2003 Mr. Lumer received NISH’s highest honor, the “Dick Alley” award from NISH and the President’s Committee for Purchases from the Blind for his life-long commitment to helping the handicapped. April 3, 2003 was declared “Mark Lumer Day” by the Mayor of Huntsville, Alabama in a proclamation recognizing Mr. Lumer’s long-term contributions to the local community. Along with a number of other Senior Executives, Mr. Lumer was recognized by President Bush with a “Presidential Meritorious Rank Award” on October 16, 2001. The Secretary of the Army presented Mr. Lumer with the “Decoration for Exceptional Civilian Service”, the Army’s highest civilian award, on November 2, 2000. On April 12, 2000, Mr. Lumer was the sole recipient of the Secretary of the Army’s FY 99 Award for Contracting Professionalism (Civilian). Mr. Lumer’s office also received a second Secretary of the Army “Excellence in Contracting” award for procurement support to the warfighters in Kosovo. In July 1999, SMDC Contracting was also recognized by the Secretary of the Army with two “Excellence in Contracting” awards. In June 1999, the Secretary of Defense awarded Mr. Lumer’s staff a “Teamworking Excellence” award for their handling of the Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) Program. In May 1999, SMDC Contracting received Vice-President Gore’s Hammer Award for efficiency and streamlining the procurement process.

In May 2000, Senator Kit Bond and the SBA recognized Mr. Lumer for his exceptional support of HUBZONE companies. SMDC Contracting received the National Institute of Severely Handicapped (NISH) “President’s Award” on April 17, 2000, for its innovative use of contracting techniques that substantially increased job opportunities for handicapped individuals at the High Energy Laser System Test Facility (HELSTF) at White Sands, NM.

In August 1998, SMDC became the first contracting command in the Department of Defense to achieve full operational capability with the Standard Procurement System (SPS), DoD’s paperless acquisition process. From 1995-2004, Mr. Lumer's contracting offices were rated as the most efficient in the Army. The office was selected as the outstanding Resource Management office (major command and above) for FY 95 by the Secretary of the Army. SMDC has never lost a protest in its 47-year history.

Mr. Lumer previously worked in the Pentagon, where he was the Army Policy Representative on the DAR Council for four years. As such, he established the Army’s position on revisions and changes to the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) and the Defense FAR Supplement (DFARS). Mr. Lumer had eight DAR subcommittees reporting to him. He also served as the Acting Director, Army Procurement Policy in the office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army (Research, Development, and Acquisition) immediately before joining SMDC.

Mr. Lumer's field experience includes two years as the Command Ombudsman at the U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Command in New Jersey. He also served as the Chief of Compliance there for three years, and as a contracting officer for several major weapons systems. In his ten years as a contracting officer, he never lost a protest while obligating over $1 billion.

He is a nationally known expert and author in the field of government contracting and has received many awards. He is listed in several editions of Who's Who, including the 1995 and 1996 editions of Who's Who in the World, and the Army has awarded him the Meritorious Civilian Service medal, the Superior Civilian Service medal, and the Commander's Award for Civilian Service twice.

He is the primary author of the "So You Think You Know” series of articles (about 30) for the National Contract Management Association (NCMA), and was the principal author of NCMA's Acquisition Reform I Seminar. Mr. Lumer taught the seminar at 50 locations throughout the country. He has co-authored two other books on acquisition related matters.

In 1990 Federal Computer Week designated him as one of the "Top 100” government employees in acquisition. In 1990 the Governor of Kentucky appointed him a Kentucky Colonel, in recognition of his contributions to the country. The Signal Corps Regimental Association chapter in Fort Monmouth awarded him the Order of Mercury (Bronze), the first civilian ever recognized by that chapter. In 1996 Mr. Lumer was accepted into MENSA. In addition, Mark Lumer serves the Huntsville, Alabama, community as a member of the U.S. Space and Rocket Center Museum Committee.

Mr. Lumer holds BA and MBA degrees, and attended Albany Law School. He is a 1993 graduate of the Industrial College of the Armed Forces, a Certified Associate Contracts Manager, and was elected a Fellow by NCMA in 1984, at the time one of the youngest Fellows ever. He was recognized by NCMA with the Outstanding Fellow award in July 1994, and the National Achievement award in July 1995. He has served as a Regional Vice President for the Mid-Atlantic region, and as National Vice President for Education and Certification. He held the post of National Vice President for Business Development from July 1, 1995, to July 31, 1996.