REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala. -- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has a robust military construction program to build Army and Air Force facilities worldwide, the U.S. Army Engineering and Support Center, Huntsville has a hardy program to tear them down.
Huntsville Center’s Facility Reduction Program (FRP) received Best in Class (BIC) certification from Office of Management and Budget (OMB), with the support of the Government-wide Category Management Program Management Office 2021.
BIC is a contracting and acquisition designation used to denote contracts that meet rigorous category management performance criteria as defined by OMB.
Scott Barnhart, FRP project manager, said GSA’s BIC designation identifies government-wide contracts that satisfy key criteria defined by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).
“Best-in-Class solutions are vetted, well-managed, and recommended—and in some cases required—for use (by other federal agencies),” Barnhart said.
Huntsville Center’s FRP procures and centrally manages commercial demolition services. The program currently maintains five regional multiple award task order contracts (MATOCs) for abatement and demolition services.
Barnhart said interagency teams designate BIC contracts to reduce the amount of effort individual buyers spend finding and researching acquisition solutions.
“Sharing of government-wide buying data leads to better-informed business decisions,” Barnhart said.
“Widespread adoption of Best-in-Class solutions maximize the government’s shared purchasing power, allowing agencies to leverage volume discounts. The classification also assists agencies to operate more efficiently by reducing administrative costs and contract duplication.”
Although the FRP has less than half dozen project managers, they are dependent on small business around the country to carry out the mission of demolishing excess or dilapidated Army, Air Force and other federal agency real property throughout the Continental United States (CONUS), Alaska, Hawaii, U.S. territories and possessions.
“Our MATOC contractors include seven Small Businesses (SBs) and eight Other Than Small Businesses (OTSB). Additionally, FRP remains committed to utilizing small business contracts for the pre-demolition on facility characterization on studies associated with the projects,” Barnhart said.
However, the real value of FRP is fast-track, efficient methods for demolishing excess facilities.
“The FRP allows commands to reduce excess real property to realize savings through the reduction in energy usage and maintenance costs,” Barfield said.
Barnhart and the FRP team assist with project development, validation of requirements, acquisition of environmental surveys for asbestos-containing and other regulated material, as well as abatement of identified regulated materials, demolition, and restoration of the site for follow-on use.
By utilizing a regional MATOC contracts and a matrix project delivery team (PDT), FRP can streamline the demolition process and provide low-cost, quick response demolition service contracts. This approach provides a competitive acquisition, with technically qualified contractors.
Stanley Preuett, Joint Munitions Command, Milan Army Ammunition Plant Milan AAP) industrial engineer and real property accountable officer (RPAO), said over the past two years, FRP completely demolished 45 buildings totaling 107,952 square feet at Milan AAP, Jackson, Tennessee.
“The program staff were professional and responsive in getting contracts awarded on a tight schedule and monitored project performance to ensure Performance Work Statement (PWS) requirements were met acceptably, on schedule, and within budget.“
Although FRP specializes in facility reduction, the program also removes trees and vegetation, parking lots, sidewalks, and roadways. The program also ensures utility disconnection, removal and rerouting as well as removal of above or underground storage tanks.
The program is eco-friendly too as it ensures recycling of building materials and site restoration.
Abatement services includes environmental assessments, abatement of facilities contaminants (i.e., lead, asbestos, chemicals, polychlorinated biphenyls and petroleum byproducts), redirection of debris waste streams, hazardous and non-hazardous debris transportation, environmental sampling, and proper disposal of regulated materials.
“By combining abatement with demolition, the Government ensures a more efficient, safe and environmentally compliant demolition,” Barnhart said.