7 CONS provide contracts at Dyess

  • Published
  • By Maj. John Del Barrio
  • 7th Contracting Squadron
DYESS AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  As Airmen, our mission is to fly, fight and win in air, space and cyberspace. Each of us plays a role in enabling that mission, but have you ever thought about your individual unit's mission and how you fit into the big Air Force picture?

The 7th Contracting Squadron provides compliant business solutions in support of the warfighter. Just as our aircraft maintainers follow technical orders, we do the same through the Federal Acquisition Regulation and its supplements.

Reading these regulations in their entirety is like reading an entire encyclopedia. And much like an encyclopedia, we seek what we need at a point in time, and come back to it the next time we need guidance.

The FAR and its supplements put us on the right path to ensure we help our customers plan acquisitions accordingly, conduct market research, champion small business programs, determine the right contract vehicle for fulfilling requirements, solicit government requirements fairly and appropriately administer the contract after award.

Our Airmen and civilians work diligently to ensure your commodities, services and construction requirements are fulfilled in a timely manner. We sometimes have to say no to an approach a customer may have in mind; however, as long as we're not breaking the law, we will most often find a way in which they arrive at the same desired outcome.

In addition to the regulatory guidance previously mentioned, we use requirements guidance received from customers. This guidance provides us a better picture of the requirement, often in the form of a performance work statement , scope of work or salient characteristics of an item. Without this information, we have a tough time determining what you want to buy. For example, if you had a requirement for bandages, you might say the following: flexible, sterile adhesive bandages with centered safety pads, individually wrapped, with dimensions between 1 x 3 inches and ¾ x 3 inches. You might also add that your requirement is for a brand name or equal to Johnson & Johnson Band Aid.

Granted, this wouldn't guarantee you get Band Aid brand, but the information would provide potential offerors a good idea as to what the requirement is; thus, allowing them to submit an offer likely to meet the need. Of course, the underlying reason a customer would want Band Aids, or some other type of commodity or service, is because of what it can do to support their mission.

Generally speaking, a customer gains this knowledge about a particular product or service through market research. Market research is simply defined as the process used to determine if industry can support the acquisition needs of the government. It is also a continuous process for gathering and analyzing information about a particular product or service available in the marketplace.

Market research takes many forms to include trade journals, vendor fairs or information from another base or commercial operation. The more a requirement is researched, the better we are able to ensure customers get the best pricing, quality and delivery or performance.

Lastly, there is the performance guidance we often get from customers. Although contracting enforces the terms and conditions of the contract, the valuable input we receive from customers helps ensure the government gets what it pays for. This is especially true with services contracts because unit facility managers and quality assurance personnel are crucial in ensuring our grounds are well manicured, trash is hauled away and buildings are cleaned regularly.

Sometimes, customers have the misconception that a level of service may be higher than what is called for in the contract. For example, someone might believe the grass and bushes are supposed to be trimmed daily, their dumpster is to be emptied daily or their building is supposed to have their carpets shampooed monthly. Such is not the case, given the budget constraints we're facing.

Accordingly, 7 Civil Engineer Squadron and 7 CONS continuously work with facility managers to manage expectations, and they are encouraged to educate the people they represent to manage expectations too.

Rest assured your feedback, good and bad, is acknowledged, though some complaints don't always get validated due to the fact that we can only enforce what's in the contract, and nothing more.

In closing, I hope I've provided you a better idea of what we do in contracting. I challenge each of you to embrace the mission of your respective unit and share what you do to contribute to that mission with your fellow Airmen. This will not only expand their knowledge of another area, but also demonstrate how you support the Air Force's mission.