Benning contracting office bulldozes savings

By Daniel P. Elkins, Mission and Installation Contracting Command Public Affairs OfficeMay 24, 2013

Benning contracting office bulldozes savings
1 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Shirley Watson saved the government more than $460,000 by acquiring five full track dozers for the Fort Benning, Ga., department of public works through the Installation Management Command redistribution program. Watson is the industrial property adm... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Benning contracting office bulldozes savings
2 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Shirley Watson saved the government more than $460,000 by acquiring five full track dozers for the Fort Benning, Ga., department of public works through the Installation Management Command redistribution program. Watson is the industrial property adm... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-FORT SAM HOUSTON, Texas (May 24, 2013) -- An innovative solution by the contracting office at Fort Benning, Ga., has saved the government almost a half of million dollars while boosting the mission capability of the installation's department of public works.

Shirley Watson, the industrial property administrator for the Mission and Installation Contracting Command at Fort Benning, took advantage of a redistribution program to reallocate five serviceable full track dozers to meet her DPW customer's requirement. In addition to the $438,415 in savings, she leveraged a training exercise by the National Guard for the delivery of equipment this month at no cost, a further government savings of $25,000.

Watson said she first became aware of the availability of one dozer in March as part of the redistribution program managed by the Installation Management Command at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, Texas.

"You can't go wrong with the redistribution program. Items are usually in serviceable if not like-new condition," she said. "The DPW was immediately interested in getting a dozer through the program but only asked for one despite the fact they were short five."

Through an exchange of emails and phone calls, she helped secure funding for transportation.

"I called the DPW officer and asked if he was willing to cover the cost to get the equipment here," Watson said. "He was eager to cover the costs; $5,000 to transport an $87,000 dozer is a pretty good deal."

Upon reaching IMCOM to inform program representatives of available transportation funding, she learned that additional dozers were available that could also be reallocated to the Fort Benning DPW if it was willing to fund the cost of transportation.

"After DPW agreed to cover the transportation cost, I received a surprise call from IMCOM (about) a training mission planned by the National Guard, and the dozers would be delivered cost free," she said.

The MICC-Fort Benning deputy director believes contracting offices should educate their personnel on how the program works as today's fiscal environment demands Watson and other MICC members to explore all alternatives for meeting their customers' mission needs.

"Her perseverance saved Fort Benning considerably costs in new equipment procurement, contributed to the overall mission of Fort Benning by procuring the needed equipment, and saved DPW funds that could be allocated elsewhere," said Brenda Clark, who also serves as chief of contract support division.

The MICC is responsible for providing contracting support for the warfighter throughout Army commands, installations and activities located throughout the continental United States and Puerto Rico. In fiscal 2012, the command executed more than 58,000 contract actions worth more than $6.3 billion across the Army, including more than $2.6 billion to small businesses.

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Mission and Installation Contracting Command

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