U.S. ARMY GARRISON BAVARIA, Germany (March 10, 2022) – Members of the 928th Contracting Battalion here tested their unit’s proficiency to validate its readiness and provide acquisition support to Soldiers in the Bavaria military community and throughout U.S. Army Europe area of responsibility.
As part of the Army Contracting Command External Evaluation, the 928th CBN staff tested its deployment operations as well as its ability to provide theater support contracting.
Led by Lt. Col. Brandon Chapman, commander of the 928th Contracting Battalion and Regional Contracting Office-Bavaria with a staff of 59 Soldiers, Army civilians and local nationals, the unit provides the region with acquisition assistance to provide all the goods and services they need to be successful.
“I have seen the 928th Contracting Battalion and RCO-Bavaria respond to the Operation Allies Welcome mission and we have been performing to the response of Russian aggression on Ukraine and this team has performed so well,” Chapman said. “With this External Evaluation, it is a great opportunity for us to get feedback on how we perform both in the military decision making process and troop movement procedures, which we do supporting Exercise Defender. It’s important to understand how we do our leader processes and contracting support business to make us even better. This is a team that cares about its mission.”
The 928th CBN has a unique mission as it provides contracting support to 90% of Europe.
“The amount of missions and amount of contracting support needed from our mission partners has only increased in my 18 months here including the Defender series and additional exercises. The U.S. Army is doing more with more nation partners today,” Chapman added. “Customers we support on a regular basis understand what ACC brings to the fight, and they like it. I tell my staff that you will be challenged while you are stationed here but as you go through that crucible of learning – such as this External Evaluation – you will be stronger and a better contracting professional for it.
“Contracting support is about relationships,” Chapman added. You have to get from behind your desk and go to the motor pool, talk to the guy turning wrenches, and you have to be there in the planning process: that is where we make our money and we do that by being in the room with them as much as we physically can.”
Going through the External Evaluation is great for the battalion, said Sgt. 1st Class Henry Caldera, the 928th CBN Contracting Detachment Alpha NCO in charge.
“The 928th is postured to support outstanding support throughout Europe. We have a lot of new people in the battalion who have never experienced this evaluation and it adds a lot of value to them because it shows how we perform in an operational environment at a higher pace,” Caldera said. “In addition to this evaluation, we have a mission that does not stop that poses a challenge for me but we as a team work through it. We work hard to meet our customers’ requirements to help them execute their missions so they can be successful.”
During the exercise, the rest of the battalion continued to provide acquisition support to the
Bavaria military community. One such contract recently done was to provide scheduled and un-scheduled maintenance for tactical and non-tactical vehicles in support of 7th Army Training Command used to support U.S. Title X coalition Forces at Hohenfels and Grafenwoehr, Germany. Debbie Frankovich, 928th CBN chief of the supply services division, was the contracting officer for this preposition maintenance fleet services contract.
“If we don’t do this vehicle maintenance contract then the Army and all those who use the equipment don’t have those vehicles to train on 24/7,” said Frankovich, a contracting officer since 2008. “We provide everything our customers need to win. Anything from food services, custodial services, maintenance of vehicles, training courses in the area. Our contracting mission is extremely important because the Army relies on the goods and services we provide through contracts so our Soldiers can win every day.”
About Army Contracting Command
The Army Contracting Command is headquartered at Redstone Arsenal, Alabama. From food and clothing to bullets and bombs; from tanks and trucks to boats and aircraft; from Soldiers' weapons to the installations where they work and live with their families, ACC ensures Soldiers have what they need to be successful. As the Army's principal buying agent, ACC supports Army readiness and modernization by using best practices and expert-level oversight to provide warfighters with premier contracting support. The command accomplishes its global operational missions with a professional workforce of Soldiers, Department of the Army civilians, foreign local nationals and contractors at more than 100 locations worldwide.
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