JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas – The letting of nine European household appliance contracts by two Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center units at Ramstein AB, Germany, is expected to save the Air Force roughly $85,000 annually.
The collaborative effort between AFIMSC’s Detachment 4 and the Air Force Installation Contracting Center’s 764th Enterprise Sourcing Squadron will provide brand-name European household appliances for on- and off-base Air Force and Army housing residents in the United Kingdom, Germany and Italy.
Valued at $45.4 million combined, the 10-year Standardized European Household Appliance Contract is expected to net savings by improving customer service and providing a common base of parts and maintenance for the appliances.
“In the past, procurements for appliances were done at base level and were typically low-bid driven, which has caused a wild mix of different brands and models (in our) inventory over the past years,” said Hans Schulz, AFIMSC Det. 4 housing management specialist and requirements owner representative for the contract.
“Low-cost items are usually not of the same quality as brand name products,” Schulz added. “To maintain the expected lifecycle for all these appliances, repairs often become necessary. Parts availability for the different brands and models, and extended downtimes for repairs triggered the need for a (more standardized) inventory of quality products.”
“Quality products that last longer are most preferred along with local repair parts availability that supports quick turnaround times,” he added.
To encourage competition among vendors and generate cost savings for the Air Force, contract requirements solicited full and open competition. The small as well as larger companies could provide quotes, said Jennifer Schneider, 764th ESS contracting officer and team lead for the initiative.
“Under conditions of the contract, the delivery period for the 10-year contract began in December, and the first contracting office already started its ordering process,” she said.