Payton discusses Acquisition mission during workshop

Published June 12, 2008
By Brandice J. Armstrong
Tinker Public Affairs

TINKER AIR FORCE BASE -- The Honorable Sue Payton launched the 2008 Air Force Services Workshop. As keynote speaker, the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition spoke to over 200 local businessmen, contractors, government civilians and Airmen at the Oklahoma City Cox Convention Center on June 3.
   Ms. Payton, spoke to the workshop's theme, "Services Acquisition - Challenge the Possible." She specifically addressed topics including the services acquisition mission, internal and external Air Force challenges and the importance of contractors.
   "It is our mission in acquisition to bring war-winning capabilities on time, and on cost but to ever-remember our taxpayer dollars," Ms. Payton said.
   Ms. Payton said achieving the mission is not as easy as it once was due to the rising cost of healthcare, personnel and of course, rising fuel costs.
   "We know that if the price of a barrel of oil goes up $10, it equates to a $610 million bill, because we are so fuel dependent here in the Air Force," Ms. Payton said. "And you have watched as the price of a barrel of oil has gone well over $125 or $130 a barrel most recently. Our earning power is eroding."
   Citing her slides, Ms. Payton said the president's discretionary fund budget for fiscal year 2007 is $2.8 trillion. The Department of Defense uses 11 percent of that total; the Air Force receives 21 percent of the Department's allocation.
   Of that 21 percent, $36.9 billion is spent on services including contracts. In 2007, there were 29,100 contracting actions. In facility-related services, Ms. Payton said there were 37,400 contracting actions.
   Ms. Payton said the government needs to take a better look at how money is being spent. As fuel costs rise and protests mount, the government needs to continue to put taxpayer dollars first.
   "We need to characterize this spending, and we need to know where are we duplicating efforts, how can we improve what we're doing for the taxpayer," she said. "Because the way our Air Force is moving, we don't have the money we need to reinvest in the hardware."
   In order to figure out the best way to allocate the money, Ms. Payton said Air Force officials must reprioritize the most essential actions and contracts, and stay well-informed.
   "We have to reduce the total obligation authority in services or we will never be able to recapitalize our Air Force," Ms. Payton said. "We've got to increase the effectiveness of contracted service providers. That means we call the shots."
   "Let's drive down the cost of these services," she continued. "Let's get the cost in the pricing game and labor rates we deserve because the taxpayer deserves them and let's make sure when we've awarded these contracts that they are the best possible deal for the taxpayer and the warfighter."
   Workshop attendees also listened to panel discussions, participated breakout sessions and toured Tinker.