HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – In fiscal year 2022, the U.S. Army Engineering and Support Center, Huntsville awarded more than 4,300 contract actions totaling more than $2.57 billion in obligations for global stakeholders.
According to Chip Marin, Huntsville Center programs director, the Center saw a substantial increase of more than 200 contract actions and over $600 million in obligations compared to the previous fiscal year.
Marin noted that this was the first time the Center completed a fiscal year in a “hybrid” posture, with some employees working in the office and others working from home. The Center moved from an emergency telework status, during which most employees were required to work from home, to a regular telework status, in which employees can telework up to three days a week, in June.
“We have ended the fiscal year all in-person, all virtual, and now with this hybrid approach, and each time, we have delivered the program with outstanding success,” Marin said. “Huntsville Center’s ability to adapt no matter the situation shows once again that our workforce is committed to achieving the mission.”
Rebecca Goodsell, Huntsville Center Office of Small Business Programs chief, said the Center increased its small business awards by $117 million and exceeded its overall small business goal for fiscal 2022.
“At Huntsville Center, we consider small business to be the heart of the U.S. economy and a vital part of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers procurement process,” Goodsell said. “We had a phenomenal year in FY22 and awarded a total of $825 million in awards directly to prime small business firms.”
The Center’s contract awards establish the framework required for thousands of projects supporting military and government agencies globally through the sustainment, maintenance and upgrading of existing facilities, utilities and infrastructure and create solutions to support the nation’s toughest engineering challenges.
According to Jennifer Peete, Huntsville Center budget officer, the Center’s breakdown shows that of the $2.57 billion obligated, 86% went to support the Army, 10% was dedicated to the Office of the Secretary of Defense, and 4% was earmarked for Civil Works.
At any given time, Huntsville Center’s 1,000-plus employees manage nearly 3,000 ongoing projects that fall into five portfolios: Medical, Facilities and Base Operations, Energy, Operational Technology and Environmental. The portfolios comprise 43 program areas, as well as 14 centers of expertise and 17 centers of standardization.
Marin highlighted six of the Center’s programs that experienced significant growth in fiscal 2022.
The Facilities Technology Integration-General Program, which provides quality oversight and technical engineering solutions for facility-related communications distribution systems, more than doubled their obligations from $30.1 million in fiscal 2021 to $72.4 million in fiscal 2022.
The Furniture Program had its biggest year ever with $144 million in fiscal 2022, up $46 million from fiscal 2021. The program procures administrative, barracks, lodging and educational furnishings for federal agencies worldwide.
The Facilities Reduction Program, which provides a fast-track method for the demolition of excess buildings on DOD installations and other federal agency locations, saw an increase of $33.2 million in total obligations from fiscal 2021 to fiscal 2022. Part of that increase came from a $15.5 million task order for the demolition of barracks at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Huntsville Center procured the task order in a record time of six weeks.
Under the Center’s Medical Division, both the Medical Repair and Renewal (MRR) and Operation and Maintenance Engineering Enhancement (OMEE) programs experienced substantial growth. MRR executed 123 contract actions valued at $306.2 million in fiscal year 2022, an increase of $216.2 million from the previous year. OMEE executed 263 contract actions valued at $251 million in fiscal year, up $29 million from fiscal 2021.
The program experiencing the largest percentage increase was the Facilities Repair and Renewal Program, which ended fiscal year 2022 with $145 million in obligations, up $118.8 million, or a whopping 453%, from fiscal year 2021. The FRR program offers an efficient method for design and execution of all types of facility repairs, renovations and minor construction. Recent projects include awards totaling $46.4 million for electric vehicle charging stations for U.S. Army Installation Management Command, Army Materiel Command and Corps of Engineers civil works locations.
All six of these programs fall under the Center’s Installation Support and Program Management directorate led by Arthur Martin, ISPM director.
“There are many others of our 29 programs that saw increases with the net effect being an unprecedented year for ISPM,” Martin said. “I cannot be prouder of a group of professionals across the Center as we executed this large workload with unmatched precision and efficiency. Things flowed very smoothly, and that is a direct reflection of the project delivery teams and their leadership working together and effectively communicating.”
The Center’s Resource Management (RM) directorate ensures proper stewardship of all funds coming into the Center and assists with the maintenance of balance, economy and efficiency in the accomplishment of the Huntsville Center mission. Liz McCullough, RM director, said her team was unfazed by the increased workload.
“Of course, we felt the volume, but we have the tools and data-driven processes in place to handle it, and we started working potential challenges early on,” McCullough said. “My team considers it an honor and a privilege to provide a successful financial-management framework to Huntsville Center, which allows us to provide quality service to our customers. The pride they have in their work, combined with their experience and expertise, is key to our success.”