Enterprise sourcing personnel part of award-winning team

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  • By Contributed story by Air Force Installation Contracting Agency
WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Oh. --  The Department of Defense announced winners of the fiscal 2013 Department of Defense Value Engineering Achievement Awards June 23.

The Fire Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) team, consisting of personnel from the 771 Enterprise Sourcing Squadron -- part of the Air Force Installation Contracting Agency (AFICA) located at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base -- along with Air Force Civil Engineer Center (AFCEC) personnel, won the team award for the Air Force. AFICA provides responsive enterprise contracting solutions to enable efficient and effective mission and installation operations.

Value engineering contributes to the department's overall Better Buying Power initiative, which seeks to streamline operations, improve quality, and reduce or avoid costs. These Better Buying Power initiatives guided the Fire PPE team to develop an acquisition strategy for procuring standardized PPE, as well as establish a process for inspection, cleaning, repairs, tracking and record-keeping services.

Prior to June 2012, the Air Force Fire Emergency Services procured fire PPE across the service by using several acquisition strategies.

Requirements were determined locally at each Air Force installation.

According to AFCEC's Chief Master Sgt. Pete Dickerson, "Our primary focus is assuring firefighter safety by standardizing what is the last line of defense for firefighters when other hazard controls fail. Standardization also assures equal protection at any/all incident scenes worldwide with consistent integration of joint firefighter integrated response ensemble. This allows us to operate where chemical warfare defense equipment is present."

Extensive research confirmed lack of standardization, excessive waste, noncompliance with National Fire Protection Association 1851, and unacceptable pricing for equipment and services across the Air Force. The fire PPE team crafted an approved exceptional acquisition strategy that will provide an enterprise-wide solution to approximately 15,000 fire fighters and more than 300 fire stations across the DOD.

Air Force Fire Chief Jim Podolske said, "The firefighter PPE strategic sourcing initiative saves over $10 million , it standardizes our firefighter PPE across the Air Force, and most importantly, it enhances individual firefighter safety. While saving money is important, we also have to get this right because our people have to have quality PPE to respond to emergencies to save lives and property."

Value engineering is DOD's effort to continually analyze defense organizations, facilities, and processes to achieve essential functions and products at the lowest cost consistent with required performance, reliability, quality and safety.

During fiscal 2013, DOD executed in-house value engineering proposals and accepted contractor-initiated value engineering change proposals producing a combined actual savings and cost avoidance of $5.5 billion.