TAMPA, Fla.-- United States Central Command has long relied on commercially contracted supplies and services to support mission essential requirements during combat operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and its Joint Operational Area. Contracted support plays a significant role in CENTCOM's operations and includes transportation, logistics, maintenance, supplies and services.
In response to the challenges created by the scale of the contracted support, CENTCOM established a Forward Operational Contract Support Integration Cell in Qatar in early 2016. Brig. Gen. Paul Pardew leads the OCSIC, which is the first of its kind. This contract support cell provides oversight of the contracting process to reduce the risks of contract fraud, waste and abuse. The team serves as the primary point of integration for all operational contract matters across the CENTCOM area of responsibility.
"Contractors are now part of our total force and should be planned for, integrated, and managed across our operations," said Pardew. "That is the function of this specialized team. It ensures the synchronization of contractors with military operations, while also ensuring the proper oversight of the contracted effort."
The team consists of Air Force and Army officers with specialties in logistics, law, contracting and engineering. It addresses the planning, execution, training, and management gaps that have caused inefficiencies in contract integration, contracting support, and contractor management. The team is implementing recommendations for contract support training, efficiency metrics, and standard operating procedures to simplify and streamline processes. This helps units strategically plan for and obtain commercially contracted items, eliminate contract duplicity, decrease contract costs, and provide improved contractor oversight.
"The entire team has accomplished a considerable amount of work in just three short months," said Col. Richard Ward, the Forward OCSIC deputy chief.
Ward explained that the Air Force team members were instrumental in collaborating and composing a new standard operating manual that provided an excellent framework for which the service component and Joint Task Force can operate more efficient and in synchronized manner. "As these new procedures and processes mature, you will see huge results in the joint operating area," said Ward. "Everyone involved in the acquisition process must embrace operational contracting support, so we can reap the full potential of this joint doctrine."
The CENTCOM Contract Support Division is divided into two teams, one in Tampa and the other in Qatar. The team in Tampa reorganized its efforts to focus on the entire contracting process to better support the team in Qatar. William Sanders leads the Tampa team and it has integrated major contracting-related actions across the services, organizations and staffs operating within the CENTCOM are of responsibility.
Expeditionary Contracting Command, based at Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is supporting CENTCOM by temporarily deploying an experienced contracting officer to Qatar. Lt. Col. Jason Miles, from 410th Contract Support Brigade, Joint Base San Antonio, Texas, is on a five-month deployment to assist with CENTCOM's contracting efforts.
"CENTCOM's contracting teams are working hard to improve contracted capabilities and efficiencies while setting the stage for future success," said Miles. "We will continue to focus on ensuring that correct planning, management, and oversight of contractors supporting the force is done in the best interest of CENTCOM and the warfighters that they support."
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