JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska -- Have you ever been curious when you see a new facility inside the installation and wanted to know what the processes are to renovate or build a new facility? Did you ever wonder who works behind the scenes to make the project happen?
The 19 people of the Construction Flight assigned to the 673d Contracting Squadron handled more than 140 projects totaling $63 million this fiscal year.
They are currently accepting contracts for the upcoming fiscal year, with varied deadlines. Their goal is to have the majority of the funds accounted for by Sept. 22 this year, said Air Force Master Sgt. Johnny Crawford, 673d Contracting Squadron deputy flight chief.
The flight is responsible for small or large construction for the Air Force and Army locations here, and their primary mission is to support infrastructure requirements with cost-effective and efficient business solutions.
“This relationship has tremendous impact on the development of our members,” Crawford said. “We are able to train together and learn from each other’s contracting experiences in our respective services. The Army has its own missions that they support, but in addition they assist the squadron in executing the air base wing’s mission as well.”
To start a project, the Construction Flight requires many things; an independent government estimate, certified funding document, drawings, civil engineer work requests, and an ozone-depleting substances certification.
“Once the requester sends necessary construction requirement package, the Construction Flight team leader will assign the project to a contracting specialist,” Crawford said. “The specialist reviews the package for completeness. Once the requirements package is approved and funding is certified, a request for proposal is created and sent out for competition. During this time, site visits are scheduled, proposals are received and reviewed, and a contractor is then selected for award.”
Once the agreement and construction starts, the construction specialists still have to perform inspections, complete paperwork, and ensure payment of the final invoice is made.
“The above process is if everything goes according to plan,” Crawford said. “In some cases, during construction a contractor can encounter a differing site condition or the customer might request a change, which leads to the contract having to be modified to incorporate the necessary changes. As you can see, the individuals who work in our flight have tremendous responsibility in ensuring the air base wing gets what it requested.”
One member of the Construction Flight, Senior Airman Alyanna Baylon, handled more than 20 projects and worth more than $24 million.
“Right now, there is an ongoing construction of transforming a truck bay into an [administration] office,” Baylon said. “The estimated construction is about $400,000 and this [amount] will vary if there are any modifications to the original request.”
Because some projects can last two months or more, depending on the project requested, it is very gratifying for Baylon.
“It’s super rewarding when you get a project in the beginning,” Baylon said. “’Cradle to grave’ is a term we use when we get a project in the beginning and are involved until the project is done—so it’s a great feeling. You finally finish a project, you send a copy of the contract to the contractor and the requestor, and they say ‘thank you.”
So no matter how big or small your project is, the Construction Flight is there to guide you in every step to make the project happen.