JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas – The Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center has launched a streamlined contracting process to speed up the delivery of innovative commercial capabilities to warfighters.
The new AFIMSC Streamlining Procurement for Effective Execution and Delivery, or SPEED, Commercial Solutions Opening pathway provides a clear, competitive, and streamlined process for selecting and acquiring innovative items, technologies and services from industry.
“To maintain our edge, we have to move at the speed of the commercial market," said JB Byrnes, director of intelligence, strategic planning, and requirements for AFIMSC. "The SPEED CSO is about breaking down barriers that can slow delivery to the field, allowing us to get the best technology from our industry partners faster than ever before.”
The pathway’s flexibility is the main difference from traditional acquisition methods, said Dustin Dickens, program manager with AFIMSC. The process empowers the requirement owner to define the problem and their desired outcome through an Area of Interest, or “AoI.” This approach provides more engagement with industry in multiple stages, he said, allowing an owner to refine a problem while examining multiple approaches before making a full commitment.
“That’s the beauty of it,” Dickens said, as it allows owners to truly shape the problem and encourages creative solutions from industry.
For requirement owners like Charles Kelm, mission sustainment division chief with the Air Force Civil Engineer Center, it provides a new tool to support the warfighter. His team is using it to explore commercial solutions for several innovative lines of effort, including the acceleration of cost estimation and military construction planning using artificial intelligence. One project aims to give downrange Airmen and Guardians complete facility drawings and specifications in days versus months.
“A successful solution will accelerate the overall design process and timelines tremendously,” he said.
The Pathway to Innovation
The SPEED CSO process takes a requirement from an idea to an executable contract in three phases. An initial submission can be reviewed in as little as 10 days, Dickens said, adding that a key element giving the pathway its speed is the direct involvement of the requirement owner in evaluating solutions from industry.
This hands-on evaluation is typically conducted in three spirals:
- Information Sharing (Spiral 1): Owners first review brief written proposals or video presentations from vendors to get a broad look at potential solutions.
- Test and Refinement (Spiral 2): Promising companies are then invited to provide in-depth pitches or demonstrations, giving the project team a deeper understanding of their capabilities.
- Formal Proposals (Spiral 3): Finally, the requirement owner assists in the review of formal, detailed proposals to select the best solution for a contract award.
This collaborative approach ensures the final capability truly meets the warfighter's need.
The new strategy has been a dramatic transformation, Kelm said. After announcing a need, his team receives dynamic proposals from a diverse range of partners and moves to the prototype phase in a matter of weeks.
The result is a powerful illustration of the pathway's namesake speed.
“A process that once dragged on for eight to twelve months is now a brisk four-to-six-week sprint,” he said.
This acceleration is expected to carry through all three spirals, Kelm added, projecting the new process will cut the total time to award a full production contract by more than six months.
Who It's For
The pathway is available to requirement owners across the Department of the Air Force's installation and mission support community whose projects align with AFIMSC capabilities such as force protection, civil engineering, and Airmen, Guardian and family services.
It is best used for problems or gaps within mission support that can be solved with innovative commercial items, technologies and services, Dickens said.
Getting Started
Requirement owners who want to use this accelerated pathway should start by contacting the AFIMSC SPEED CSO team. The team provides personalized guidance and the essential guide and checklist to help owners prepare a complete and actionable submission package.
For those interested in using the process, Dickens offered a key piece of advice.
“Clearly articulate your problem so industry can provide meaningful potential solutions,” he said.
For more information or to begin the process, email the AFIMSC SPEED CSO team at afimsc.speedcso.submit@us.af.mil.