RIE looks to prioritize funding, eliminate waste Published Aug. 13, 2010 By Brandice J. Armstrong Tinker Public Affairs TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- Spending money more efficiently is an important part of transformation at the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center. In an effort to create that efficiency, a rapid improvement event was conducted to prioritize funding needs and eliminate wasteful spending for Tinker infrastructure. This RIE, which concluded in July, focused on capital planning for the center. The goal was to analyze the long-term plan for prioritizing and budgeting money for facility improvements and maintenance. The RIE team was comprised of 15 people from several units including the OC-ALC's Financial Management Office, 76th Maintenance Wing, 72nd ABW/CE and various tenant units. The team primarily evaluated facilities on base, to include runways, airfield lighting and utility systems. The team found many organizations spend their money without regard to other units' financial needs. Using facility reports and collected data, they uncovered which base facilities were in need of repairs and how those facilities' priorities rank among other mission-essential facilities at Tinker. The team developed a process to prioritize funding needs that took mission requirements into account. Part of determining the mission requirements for a facility; include reviewing the mission dependency index rating for that facility. The MDI rates individual facilities on a 100-point scale based on criticality to the mission. For example, the base cemetery has an MDI of 35, whereas the air traffic control tower has an MDI of 99. "Most of the base's assets that are mission critical have a MDI rating of 60 and above," said Tom Griffith, base civil engineer for the 72nd Air Base Wing's Civil Engineering Directorate. The RIE-developed process then used the rating to prioritize funding needs for facilities. "When we set those parameters, all of a sudden the things that are mission critical and in bad condition, became readily apparent," he said. "The whole purpose was to figure out where we were not spending money on assets that will result in mission failure." According to Mr. Griffith, the new process not only validated what they were doing with facts, but it also brought to light key requirements that were missed before. The prioritized list of funding needs was then mapped and a plan of action was developed. The Tinker runway taxiways ranked as a top priority and some of those areas are being fixed now. The initial results of the RIE have proven successful, but as with any plan, it's Tinker's ability to sustain the new process that will determine future successes. Mr. Griffith said he believes it's very important to have a capital planning process in place, so the installation is not just focused on the current and next fiscal years. "Tinker is very complicated," he said. "It's as diverse as it can be, so finding key tools like this for our commanders can keep us focused on meeting the strategic goals."