JOINT BASE LANGLEY-EUSTIS, Va. –
From line cooks to the
total demolition of a building, the 633rd Contracting Squadron at Joint Base
Langley-Eustis, Virginia, helps guarantee that the installation has the end
strength to keep running.
Before the U.S. Air Force
minimized its personnel by 41 percent in 1990, Airmen executed the majority of
base operations services, such as dining facilities, grounds maintenance and
custodial services. As the size of the force has become smaller, members have
had to continue the same missions, while their responsibilities increase in
virtually every mission area. The 633rd Contracting Squadron at JBLE has offered
a hand to fill those manpower gaps.
The 633rd CONS has helped
shift responsibilities and now have a portfolio of service contracts valued at
$449 million dollars and a contractor work force estimated to be close to 1,000
personnel.
“The contracting squadron
is responsible for installation support acquisition services,” said U.S. Air
Force Lt. Col. Loyd Childs, 633rd CONS commander. “Every squadron on JBLE has a
mission and sometimes there are areas from an installation support perspective
they need help with. When those requirements present themselves, the supported
squadron becomes a member of the acquisition team and 633rd CONS is here as a
business advisor to help them source out those requirements from a commercial
sector.”
The 633rd CONS is key to
acquiring services for any organization on JBLE, but the process of hiring
contracted help starts within the unit.
First, a development of a
performance work statement is created by the unit and if the request can’t be
satisfied by units around the installation, such as the 633rd Civil
Engineer Squadron, then the request if forwarded to the 633rd CONS. Once the
unit provides a certification of the necessary funds, the 633rd CONS can begin
their process.
Through customer
engagement, the 633rd CONS ensures customers are abiding by the appropriate
laws to contract out the service and once the contract is created, they are also
responsible for paying the contractors and guaranteeing that they are properly following
the guidelines of their contract..
“People believe civil
engineering fixes everything, but unfortunately with the operations tempo, all
of that stuff would go away,” said Brenton McCoy, 633rd CONS infrastructure
flight chief. “A lot of the nice-to-have stuff would not exist and the base would
feel the affect in about two weeks after losing the contracting squadron.
Without the contractors, the strain that we have would get worse.”
According to McCoy,
without contracting, the Air Force would have to find ways to perform everyday
operations internally with minimal personnel. For instance, purchasing of computers,
cable television, snow removal, heating, ventilation and air conditioning would
take longer to acquire or fix on base because the services are supplied by the
commercial market on JBLE through a contract.
“Every Airmen on this
base at some point in time will benefit from something that contracting
executes,” said Childs. “Contracting is here to help make your mission execute
better at the end of the day. We don’t make the mission, we make the mission
better.”
As the Air Force works to
increase the number of quality Airmen throughout the installation, JBLE can
continue to rely on the 633rd CONS to bring in contracting services where they
are needed to ensure mission success.