ROCK ISLAND, Ill. – Adjusting to a new normal while supporting the Army’s COVID-19 requirements has been a challenging but very rewarding experience for two Army Contracting Command-Rock Island employees assigned to the Logistics and Civil Augmentation Program (LOGCAP) IV mission.
Lindsay Weindruch, procuring contracting officer, and Serina Allingham, contract specialist, have been working hard – from their telework sites at home – to support five current requirements.
Specifically, they are handling quarantine sites at Fort Bragg and Fort Bliss, where Soldiers and civilians returning from theater are isolated for 14 days. They are also supporting a U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) requirement providing overflow housing for displaced Soldiers at Fort Benning and Fort Lee.
The team has also awarded the contract for the construction of a 100-bed temporary medical facility for the state of New Jersey. This facility takes in non-COVID-19 patients so the hospital can better and more safely treat COVID-19 patients.
In addition to these awarded actions, there are emerging quarantine operations requirements at locations such as Fort Hood, all of which are constantly evolving as the environment continues to change. As of early May, the team’s awarded COVID-19 actions were valued at somewhere between $70-$90 million.
Weindruch said the team’s workload has doubled. The team typically handles the U.S. Northern Command (NORTHCOM) task order, including the National Training Center at Fort Irwin.
Both Weindruch and Allingham say the experience has required immaculate tracking, which has led to them enhancing their personal organizational skills. The fast-turn arounds on these requirements, complex funding issues, as well as constant changes to requirements have necessitated a great deal of analytical thinking.
“There can be complex funding issues with Unpriced Change Orders (UCOs) because depending on whether it is below $5 million or above $5 million affects how much you can fund,” said Allingham. “When the requirement is constantly changing, we have to determine the true net effect of that change and whether we are now in a limitation of obligation status or are we no longer in that status?”
Another thing that has made their workload fast-paced from the beginning is the amount of pending requirements. The team needs to work closely with the customer and contractors to get estimates and then marry up constantly-changing requirements to update those estimates.
“In LOGCAP, where we have contingency type operations, we are used to a lot of changes,” said Weindruch. “But this, literally I have talked to someone in the morning and by the afternoon, it has changed.”
Weindruch and Allingham said the greatest success in working these requirements has been the simple fact that they have been able to award the requirements, keep them funded, ensure there hasn’t been any disruptions in services, and that the requirements are being met in the fast time frames we’ve been given.
“It is a small effort to assist, but it is rewarding to know that some of the requirements we are working are assisting with the COVID-19 response measures,” said Weindruch. “In LOGCAP, we frequently assist the military with war support and national emergency response, but this has probably been the most different type I’ve worked on. It’s really challenging, but being a part of the response to reduce the spread of the virus has been so unique.”
Jake Adrian, director of LOGCAP Contracting, ACC-RI, said the dedication that Weindruch and Allingham have displayed in supporting these requirements has been impressive.
“They are a testament to the type of outstanding contracting professionals we train and develop here at ACC-RI,” said Adrian. “Not only have they excelled in providing responsive and responsible contracting, they embrace the challenges they face to become even better. I’m proud to work with them.”
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