ESC team receives value engineering award

  • Published
  • By 1st Lt. Stephen Fox
  • Electronic Systems Center Public Affairs
HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, Mass. (AFPN) --  An Electronic Systems Center office received the Department of Defense's Value Engineering Achievement Award for 2004.

The battle management command, control and communications hardware procurement team was is responsible for the acquisition of hardware for air operations centers and mission planning. It used competition among contractors and multiple government contracting agencies to foster the most innovative hardware procurements at the lowest cost to the government, DOD officials said.

The competitive environment has allowed the team to develop and implement the latest processes in acquiring commercial-off-the-shelf hardware, an initiative that saved the government an average of nearly 30 percent on hardware systems in 2004, said Col. Bill Nelson, mission planning systems group commander.

"Our team's experience buying … hardware products enables us to obtain a rock bottom price for our Air Force customers," Colonel Nelson said.

With only four people -- 2nd Lt. Adam Howes, Ray Boucher, Heidi Helwig and Gillian Ferguson -- the team is not one of the largest on base, but its impact has greatly benefited the DOD, Colonel Nelson said.

The team saved the Air Force more than $450,000 by fielding improved computer hardware for the Air Force Portal at a 66-percent discount, he said.

"The savings this team realizes on a day-to-day basis allows us to either procure a greater number of systems for the same cost or apply those funds to other high priority requirements," Colonel Nelson said.

By negotiating a 17-percent discount on Air Mobility Command's deployable mission planning ruggedized laptops, the team procured 200 more units than originally planned and saved the Air Force nearly $1 million.

"It's no surprise that this team brought home top honors this year," said Col. Ken Merchant, Battle Management Systems Wing commander. "Their continuous innovation and tenacious spirit were key factors in their success. Most importantly, they're widely known for ensuring timely delivery of affordable hardware to the mission planners in the field.” (Courtesy of Air Force Materiel Command News Service)