RANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE, Texas –
One of Team Randolph's small-business contractors took center stage last month at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., earning a national award for its participation in the Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business Program.
M1 Support Services of Denton, which holds Randolph's Transient Alert Services contract, was one of eight businesses owned by service-disabled veterans that received the 2007 Department of Defense SDVOSB Achievement Award. Steve Langelier, director of business operations at the 12th Contracting Squadron, represented Randolph at the event.
M1's job performance at Randolph epitomizes "the role small businesses play in carrying out our mission," Estella Calvillo, 12th CONS Small Business Specialist, said.
The company, which is both an SDVOSB and a woman-owned small business, provides professional and technical services, logistics, aviation support services, information technology, security and facility support services to its customers. Its mission at Randolph is to "handle all transient alert aircraft, scheduling all the areas that will service the aircraft while they're here," contract administrator Priscilla Marsilio said.
The M1 crew guides aircraft to parking areas using "follow me" trucks, notifies fuels management to refuel them and prepares to meet the needs of the transient crews. M1 works with other contractors, such as General Precision Manufacturing, which handles airfield management, and Defense Contract Services Inc., fuels management contractor, when it's time to attend to transient aircraft.
These contractors performed their duties when a helicopter brought President Bush to Randolph during his recent visit to Brooke Army Medical Center. They also handled the numerous aircraft that arrived here for last month's air show.
M1, which stands for Mission First, has aviation support operations at other bases in the Unites States and provides mechanics to the C-21 Contractor Logistics Support Program in Southwest Asia.
Just as companies such as M1 reach out to hire veterans - who comprise 56 percent of their employees - the 12th Contracting Squadron strives to support small businesses, especially those owned by veterans, service-disabled veterans and women and those in a historically underutilized business zone.
Ms. Calvillo said more than 70 small-business contracting firms work at Randolph in areas such as services, construction and information technology.
Gen. William Looney, Air Education and Training Command commander, has encouraged commanders and acquisition professionals "to discover opportunities for small businesses to team with AETC supporting and sustaining our men and women engaged in the war against terrorism."
Col. Richard Clark, 12th Flying Training Wing commander, has noted that small businesses are the "heart of the American economy."
The SDVOSB set-aside program was established in 1999 to direct federal agencies to award at least 3 percent of their prime contracts and subcontracts to small businesses owned by veterans who were wounded while in military service.
M1 Support Services was the 12th Contracting Squadron's first award under the SDVOSB set-aside program, said Ms. Calvillo.
"The contract was awarded to M1 for $1,112,134 on Oct. 1, 2006, for a basic year and four option years through September 2011," she said. "From the onset, M1 has provided quality services for a monthly average of 100 arrival/departure transient aircraft."