AFCEC's Industry Forum provides public, private collaboration

  • Published
  • By Jennifer Elmore
  • AFCEC Public Affairs
TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  The Air Force Civil Engineer Center's Tyndall operating location hosted representatives from 75 companies May 7 at an industry forum to discuss how public-private collaboration opportunities help meet the Air Force's civil engineering needs.

AFCEC uses contract support to provide civil engineering services and enterprise life-cycle leadership to Air Force installations. The agency uses seven major contracts to leverage industry expertise to support its facility engineering, readiness, energy, environment, operations and installations missions.

"Air Force civil engineering is getting back to the basics, while developing new strategies and capitalizing on new technologies that help us build sustainable facilities and infrastructure," said AFCEC Director Joe Sciabica.

Leaders from AFCEC's Tyndall-based directorates showcased a wide variety of opportunities for public-private partnerships to support initiatives and in energy, operations and readiness.

For example, Ken Gray, acting Energy director, said AFCEC wants to do more third-party financed projects, including Energy Savings Performance Contracts, Utility Energy Service Contracts and renewable energy Power Purchase Agreements. AFCEC's Energy Directorate has 200 energy and water conservation projects planned at a cost of just over $101 million in fiscal 2013.

Operations director Col. Andrew Lambert said there are opportunities in strategic sourcing initiatives.

"One example is runway rubber removal and restriping of the paint markings on our runways," said Lambert. "Can we do this by aggregating everything we do across the Air Force, putting a more efficient contract in place and getting a better rate for it?"

AFCEC's Readiness Directorate is adding a Requirements and Acquisition Division to plan and execute research and development programs for acquiring systems, equipment, technology and data, as well as provide an Air Force Contract Augmentation Program capability that provides rapid response civil engineer operational needs and requirements in support of expeditionary and in-garrison installations.

The new responsibilities come as the Air Force Research Lab makes plans to stand down at its Tyndall location in September. AFCEC readiness research will be a product, not an information-based, enterprise.

"We're interested in researching existing technologies and looking at ways to adapt them for our needs and not just doing a bunch of science projects," said Readiness director Col. Mike Mendoza.

All AFCEC opportunities are posted on the Federal Business Opportunities website: www.fbo.gov.

Presentations from the AFCEC Industry Day at Tyndall AFB, Fla. are available at http://www.afcec.af.mil/library/presentations/