JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-FORT SAM HOUSTON, Texas (Oct. 20, 2020) -- As thousands of Americans head to the polling booths to take advantage of early voting, a team of contracting professionals already have their sights firmly on the January inauguration to ensure contracted services preserve the pomp and circumstance appropriate for the national event.
Members of the Mission and Installation Contracting Command at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, have been synchronized as a planning cell responsible for executing all contracting actions over the last few months with the presidential inauguration committee.
Lt. Col. Haneda Garner, the director of MICC-Fort Belvoir, said the contracting office has been nested with the inauguration task force, composed of members from all service branches, since May.
“We are committed to excellence in our efforts, because this support demonstrates our commitment to the country and the nation’s commander in chief,” Garner said. “We have watched the planning and concept development from afar during a pandemic. In May, we started supporting on site and providing contracting expertise to ensure that the ceremonial support meets the Joint Task Force-National Capital Region commander’s intent.”
Akefeh Lambert, the chief of the contracting division for MICC-Fort Belvoir, is leading a team dedicated to supporting contract requirements for the inauguration.
“It is an honor for me and my team to lead and execute this high visibility requirement on time,” Lambert said. “Due to the national attention of an inauguration, my team and I understand the urgency and importance of execution of these contracts as intended.”
She is overseeing two seasoned contract specialists, David Gecewicz and Diandra Green, dedicated to providing support for urgent requirements as the inauguration approaches. To date, her team has executed 17 contracts valued at more than $1.3 million in support of White House initiatives and inauguration activities. Services and supplies contracted include smart phones, mobile wireless communication, furniture moving, portable tents, portable restrooms, media risers, monitors and software applications. Additional contract requirements in the coming months will include modular buildings to serve as a command post, parking, towing and roadside repair, maps and signage.
Other key players include several supporting personnel, counsel, and contracting officer representatives in the Military District of Washington, the U.S. Northern Command and JTF-National Capital Region.
“As a proactive team, we meet every two weeks regarding our pre-award purchase requests, upcoming requirements and any problems or questions that we need to resolve,” Lambert said, adding discussions continued regularly via email.
In the coming weeks, the team plans to award additional contracts for executive bus services, overflow parking and GPS tracking. As the inauguration planning committee is identified following the election, Lambert and her team will work with the committee to finish executing the final contract requirements. MICC-Fort Belvoir is also awarding additional contracts in support of the National Museum of the U.S. Army, opening Nov. 11.
About the MICC:
Headquartered at JBSA-Fort Sam Houston, Texas, the Mission and Installation Contracting Command consists of about 1,500 military and civilian members who are responsible for contracting goods and services in support of Soldiers as well as readying trained contracting units for the operating force and contingency environment when called upon. As part of its mission, MICC contracts are vital in feeding more than 200,000 Soldiers every day, providing many daily base operations support services at installations, facilitate training in the preparation of more than 100,000 conventional force members annually, training more than 500,000 students each year, and maintaining more than 14.4 million acres of land and 170,000 structures.
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