FORT SAM HOUSTON, Texas –
Officials from the Mission and Installation Contracting Command at Fort Sam Houston are poised to manage the execution of the largest acquisition in its seven-year history with the transfer of contract oversight for U.S. Army rotary wing maintenance services at Fort Rucker, Ala.
The effort supporting the aviation maintenance mission at Fort Rucker and Fort Benning, Ga., includes a January 2018 multibillion dollar award of a follow-on contract with a period of performance for up to 10 years.
Officials from the MICC plan to release a draft request for proposal for aviation maintenance service Sept. 1 on the Federal Business
Opportunities website at http://www.fbo.gov. An industry day tour at Fort Rucker is scheduled Oct. 5 so that all interested industry representatives have the opportunity to see the aviation mission, ask questions directly from oversight personnel and hold one-on-one discussions.
Brig. Gen. Jeff Gabbert, MICC commanding general, said the complexity of the aviation maintenance services contract presents another opportunity to demonstrate the Army’s commitment to preserving government transparency throughout this acquisition process
.
“As a vigilant steward of the public’s trust, we’ll approach this vital aviation contract just as we do all others by ensuring the confidence in the integrity of the acquisition process by the American people and industry,” Gabbert said. “We will strive to work with industry by rigorously defining capability requirements, continuously seeking innovative solutions, and soliciting and incorporating feedback.”
The lead contracting officer for this effort is Dean Carsello, who will guide a team of acquisition professionals at the MICC-Fort Rucker contracting office, MICC Field Directorate Office at Fort Eustis, Va., and MICC headquarters at Fort Sam Houston.
“The MICC acquisition workforce is eager and willing to take on this challenge,” Carsello said. “We’ve assembled a dedicated team of professionals possessing the depth of experience and specific skill sets necessary to accomplish the critical acquisition and meet the mission needs of our customers and the Army.”
Approximately 3,700 students accomplish pilot training annually at Fort Rucker, accounting for about one-fourth of all Army annual flying hours.
USAACE trains, educates and develops Army aviation professionals and integrates aviation capabilities for the warfighter in support of combatant commanders and Soldiers on the ground. In addition, the contract supports the Air Force’s advanced rotary training mission.
Rotary-wing aircraft training and maintenance at Fort Rucker and Fort Benning include the AH-64D/E Apache, Mi-17, UH-60A/L/M Black Hawk, OH-58C Kiowa, and CH-47D/F Chinook.
The installation is also responsible for training in FAA-certified commercial aircraft from Bell Helicopter and the Airbus Helicopters Inc. Alabama sites at which Army pilots are trained include Cairns Army Airfield, Hanchey Army Heliport, Knox Army Heliport, Lowe Army Heliport and Shell Army Heliport.
The MICC is made up of about 1,500 military and civilian members assigned to three contracting support brigades and a field directorate office throughout the United States who are responsible for contracting for Soldiers.
In fiscal 2015, the command executed more than 36,000 contract actions valued at more than $5.2 billion across the Army, including $2.25 billion to American small businesses. The command also managed more than 600,000 Government Purchase Card Program transactions in fiscal 2015 valued at an additional $747 million.