Deploying to Kosovo has proven to be much more than soliciting, awarding and managing construction projects and high-value equipment purchases for the National Guard's 1960th Contracting Team.
The Alabama-based National Guard team is currently deployed to Camp Bondsteel, Kosovo supporting the 409th Contracting Support Brigade's contracting mission. The 409th CSB is headquartered in Kaiserslautern, Germany.
Besides the regular mission requirements, the team does work with humanitarian assistance including work that directly impacts the refugees currently located within Serbia.
"We have assisted in the procurement of wellness items for refugees in Serbia. We were there to purchase winter coats for adults and children along with various life support items," said Master Sgt. Joey Hobbs, contracting specialist, 1960th Contracting Team.
The team's primary mission is to provide contracting support for Area Support Team Balkans and Multi-National Battle Group--East. It provides procurement support for Camp Bondsteel as well as a number of outlying sites around Kosovo to include Camp Film City, Camp Marechal De Lattre De Tassigny, Camp Novo Selo, and Camp Butmir in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
"Our Government Purchase Card program also remains active assisting local Balkans nations in dealing with the ongoing refugee crisis," said Maj. Todd Floyd, team leader, 1960th Contracting Team.
In addition to executing their day-to-day mission and providing humanitarian civic assistance, the team works on a variety of other projects.
"We've gotten to work on projects including a Kindergarten School in Doboj, Bosnia, and a High School in Derventa, Bosnia," said Master Sgt. Lesly Richardson, contracting specialist.
The team also supplied the U.S. Embassy in Serbia with supplies such as personal hygiene kits, food containers, heaters, and other items to help the Red Cross. They have worked with a number of U.S. embassies across the Balkins.
"Our projects include a software systems upgrade in Macedonia, a kindergarten rebuild and high school renovation in Bosnia," said Floyd.
Team members enjoy different things about being guardsmen in a deployed environment.
"I enjoy the business advisor aspect. I've learned that you can use the Federal Acquisition Regulation to find reasons not to make a purchase or you can use it to think outside the box and get things done. I truly enjoy being able to find ways to make it happen. I have spent 14 years in the Alabama National Guard and this has definitely been my most rewarding position to date," said Floyd.
Hobbs remarks that working with the locals is a good experience. "I really enjoy working with the local people and helping provide the needed items for the people around the Balkans as well as being able to travel and see the different areas of the Balkans," said Hobbs.
The team will continue to support the mission for this rotation, and then, the mission will revert to the 409th CSB in Feb 2016.
"Augmenting the active duty component with National Guard teams facilitates the balancing of resources and allows contracting commanders to successfully perform their missions as active duty components downsize," said Hobbs.
When not activated, the day jobs of these Guardsmen are in Alabama where they work in government contracting, sales management and law enforcement. They are based out of Huntsville.
Now that they are deployed and supporting a contracting mission, the team researches, awards and administers contracts and missions including the purchase of goods and services for various functions in the Balkans area.
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