Contracting Directorate praised in AFSO21 Lean Recognition Program

Published March 28, 2008
Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center Contracting Directorate

TINKER AIR FORCE BASE -- The Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center's Contracting Directorate received recognition March 19 for a job well done.
   Seven team members were presented with OC-ALC executive director coins from John J. Over, OC-ALC executive director, for leaning their processes. The acknowledgement was part of the Air Force Smart Operations for the 21st Century Lean Recognition Program, which challenges OC-ALC personnel to find more efficient and effective ways to accomplish their mission.
   "It is always rewarding to hear about and see the results of creative people in action," said Mr. Over. "In this one unit, we see not just one, but four examples of successful process improvement in our administrative operations. This is what leaning and transformation is all about."
   Led by Tommy Nicholson, Maintenance Contracting Branch chief, one team within the contracting home office was challenged to dramatically reduce award cycle time for emergency purchases in the CapCell. Through multiple process improvements such as creating a database reporting system, the CapCell buyers were able to reduce the average award time from the standard 14 calendar days to an average 10 calendar days, despite a 27 percent increase in actions from the previous year.
   "This is a critical area," said Dan Gaston, deputy director of Contracting. "Lack of consumable items can potentially cause work stoppages on the production floor and back shops, which ultimately disrupt production flow for the depot.
   "The contracting professionals were able to reduce the average award time to 10 calendar days for 96 percent of the purchase requests," Mr. Gaston said. "By reducing the purchase order award time, we helped support the 76th Maintenance Wing's reduction in flow days and basically increased aircraft availability."
   The contracting home office was also tasked with standing up a centralized Advisory and Assistance Services Program Office for the center.
   "At the beginning of the year, the plan was to staff the new A&AS organization by realigning 10 to 12 authorizations and employees from the ALC wing organizations," a lean recognition program official said. "With the civilian pay shortfall and the hiring freeze, there was no realignment for this workload transfer."
   Through lean process improvements in the contracting home office, the contracting staff eliminated processes determined as "no value added" and subsequently consolidated workload to establish no less than nine vacancies out of an 80-person home office staff. These positions were subsequently utilized to stand-up an initial six-person A&AS office as well as a three-person Strategic Supplier Relationship Management team.
   Five of the nine positions were utilized to move either the OC-ALC Plans and Programs Directorate, or the 448th Combat Sustainment Wing over-hire employees to firm authorizations; this initiative alone saved the OC-ALC approximately $500,000 in over-hire costs. Further initiatives within the A&AS Program Office to consolidate the A&AS workload saved more than $600,000 in cost avoidance for the center.
   One final initiative for fiscal year 2007 included the implementation of the Contractor Verification System program for the center; this was a new system for generating common access cards for contractor employees requiring access to government computer systems across the OC-ALC, Mr. Gaston said.
   "This particular system was initiated with no guidance or training, but basically just activated," Mr. Gaston said. "All of a sudden, we started having A&AS contractors with expired CAC cards not having access to the systems, and therefore, couldn't do their jobs."
   Not only did the contracting home office ensure 180 A&AS contractors received their CAC cards, contracting employees established training and fostered the development of multiple CVS trusted agents within the wing organizations so other A&AS contractor employees would not experience the same difficulties.
   Mr. Gaston said he also took the CVS remaining issues and applied it to a Green Belt project, which he and the other team members are in the final stages of completing.
The initiative to lean processes in the contracting home office was spearheaded by former Director of Contracting Bonnie Taylor, who has since retired, Mr. Gaston said.
   "If you want to succeed with lean initiatives, don't settle for doing things the way you've always done it," Mr. Gaston said. "Check your processes to ensure you don't have 'no value added' requirements, and last of all, make it a priority.
   "These types of efforts are not easily accomplished without prioritization," Mr. Gaston said.
   Mr. Gaston said the six individuals who directly participated in the lean initiatives were Tommy Nicholson, Keri Young, John Summers, Lori Etheridge, Jody Druckenmiller and Linda Roberson.