JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-RANDOLPH, Texas –
An Air Force initiative is allowing Joint Base San Antonio organizations to obtain a variety of supplies in their own backyard - forgoing the use of their government purchase cards.
Known as the Air Force Unit-Purchased Supplies Efficiency Initiative, the program identifies surplus items on an installation - from office supplies and furniture to building materials and tools - and repurposes them to create local savings.
"The initiative identifies supplies through unit "6S" events - sort, straighten, sweep, standardize, sustain and safety," James Williams, 902nd Logistics Readiness Squadron director, said. "The idea is for all units to do an inventory of their surplus supplies and make them available for redistribution using local SharePoint sites."
Categories of surplus materials that are captured in databases include office supplies, furniture, building materials, tools and industrial supplies.
Williams said JBSA members are able to obtain supplies at any JBSA location through the initiative.
"Mission partners across JBSA are working together to assemble teams to conduct the inventories and establish online listings using in-place capabilities such as SharePoint or electronic bulletin boards to make surplus supplies visible," he said.
Air Force 1st Lt. Joshua Frederick, 902nd LRS officer in charge of plans and integration and 502nd Air Base Wing point of contact for the initiative, said Randolph is "100-percent complete" in conducting 6S events, which began in late September.
"For the most part, it's office supplies that are available, but there are also tools such as hammers, as well as lumber and other materials," he said. "If you go to one of the websites and see something you can use, just call the POC listed and set up a time to go pick up the goods. We've loaded all supplies on the sites."
Air Force 1st Lt. Anthony Lemons, 802nd LRS flight commander and 502nd ABW POC, said the initiative is gaining traction at Lackland.
"There have been an increasing number of people contacting me with items to add to the list," he said. "I haven't seen a ton of stuff reutilized, but it is happening. I think more people will come to use the site as fewer funds are available to groups and squadrons in the future."
Herb Alonzo, 502nd ABW POC at Fort Sam Houston, said the initiative is moving "in the right direction."
"We have been doing something similar (to Lackland and Randolph), and it seems to be doing well," he said. "We have recycled approximately $75,000 in good furniture that was destined for the Defense Reutilization and Marketing Office."
Lemons said the initiative should prove beneficial by saving money and eliminating waste.
"With budget cuts leaving us with less money and people still needing things, this is a great way to move resources to where they are really needed," he said.
Frederick urged JBSA active-duty members and civilian employees to take advantage of the program by obtaining already-purchased supplies and by adding to the stockpile.
"If you see excess supplies in your work area, get together with your POC and have the items placed on a SharePoint site," he said.
For more information, contact Frederick at 652-4033, Lemons at 671-3436 or Alonzo at 221-9818.