Washington Headquarters Services

Washington Headquarters Services (WHS) is a Department of Defense (DoD) Field Activity that provides essential administrative and operational support to the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD), the Joint Staff, and other DoD components in the National Capital Region.

Established in 1977, WHS serves as the "administrative arm" of the Pentagon, managing everything from human resources and contracting to facilities maintenance and security.

Core Directorates & Functions

WHS operates through several key directorates to maintain the infrastructure of the defense enterprise:

• Acquisition Directorate (AD): Acts as the Single Enterprise Contracting Office (SECO) for the OSD, managing over $2.8 billion in annual obligations for services, construction, and IT.
• Facilities Services Directorate (FSD): Manages approximately 15 million square feet of space, including the Pentagon Reservation, the Mark Center, and various leased buildings.
• Human Resources Directorate (HRD): Oversees civilian and military personnel management, including recruiting, hiring, and personnel security clearances.
• Executive Services Directorate (ESD): Administers department-wide programs such as FOIA requests, records management, and the DoD Issuances system.
• Financial Management Directorate (FMD): Provides budget formulation, accounting, and resource management for WHS and its mission partners.

Leadership & Operations

• Director: Regina F. Meiners (appointed September 2022).
• Workforce: Nearly 6,000 personnel, including government civilians, military members, and contractors.
• Key Locations: Operations span over 80 facilities, primarily the Pentagon in Arlington, VA, and the Mark Center in Alexandria, VA, as well as the Raven Rock Mountain Complex.

Business & Employment

• Doing Business: Vendors must register via SAM.gov and can find opportunities through the WHS Acquisition Forecast.
• Careers: Vacancy announcements for WHS and its supported agencies are typically posted on USAJOBS under the "Washington Headquarters Services" keyword.

The foundations of WHS emphasize our commitment to providing leading services and support to our mission partners to enable their defense of the Nation.

• Mission: WHS is the designated support and service provider of human resources, facilities, resource management, contracting, personnel security, research, equal employment opportunity, transportation, and executive services for the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Joint Staff, the Military Departments, other select DoD Components in the National Capital Region and beyond, Congress, and the White House.
• Vision: We are a trusted, innovative service provider with an empowered workforce that enables our customers to meet or exceed their mission.
• Values: We have integrity, we are trustworthy, we are customer-centric, we are innovative, and we are results-oriented.

• Overview of WHS

• Established on October 1, 1977, our founding purpose was to help refocus the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) staff on policy analysis and oversight matters by removing unnecessary administrative burdens. WHS was charged with the mission of providing administrative and operational support to specified Department of Defense (DoD) activities in the National Capital Region (NCR). Those support functions included budget and accounting, personnel management, office space and services, security, correspondence and records management, and additional support as required. The resulting organization provided a mechanism for achieving greater efficiencies and economies of scale by consolidating those tasks and missions across the enterprise. Today, through various mandates, the WHS service spectrum has expanded considerably. Nearly 6,000 civilian, military, and contract personnel operate across a broad spectrum of responsibilities to deliver centralized, essential services for the White House, the Congress the Military Departments, Joint Staff, OSD, the Defense Agencies and DoD Field Activities, and other entities on the Pentagon Reservation, the NCR and beyond. As the administrative arm of the OSD and other select serviced organizations, WHS provides a wide range of services, including: facilities management; contracting; executive administrative support; resource management; history, library and research capabilities; human resources; operational continuity for the U.S. government; financial and administrative oversight of the Armed Forces Retirement Home and more. Our purpose remains the same, to be an indispensable contributor to the defense of our Nation and essential mission partner. The WHS vision is to be a trusted service provider with Employees Who Make a Difference.
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