JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas – Department of the Air Force leadership and first responders now have more secure, reliable communications at installations thanks to a March 23 contract award by the Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center.
The effort is expected to save more than $300 million in cost avoidance over a 10-year period.
The Enterprise Land Mobile Radio Lifecycle Management & Sustainment Services contract, awarded by the 771st Enterprise Sourcing Squadron in partnership with AFIMSC’s LMR Product Management Office, is part of the DAF’s focus on category management to drive consistency of service and equipment as well as cost savings and reliability across the enterprise by researching, planning and consolidating like needs.
“This is a perfect example of how category management is supposed to function — the ELMR effort will drive rate, process and demand savings of over $300 million,” said Lt. Col. Daniel Stephens, 771st ESS commander.
“The contract standardizes LMR infrastructure sustainment service across the DAF, ensuring the protection of our infrastructure investments and simplifying interoperability,” Stephens said, “with cybersecurity improvements also making LMR communications more secure at the enterprise level.”
The contract is a consolidation of five major command contracts into one strategic enterprise contract centrally managed by the Air Force Installation Contracting Center’s 771st ESS with services managed by AFIMSC’s LMR PMO, said Lynn Bauer, program manager for the award.
“By consolidating the multiple contracts, over 40,000 hours in manpower is eliminated from separately managed contracts, while also ensuring a standardized level of service across all DAF installations,” Bauer said.
“The 90-plus installations connected to the ELMR networks now have a single management office providing contract oversight and ensuring standard levels of service are delivered,” said Richard Lapierre, DAF LMR PMO chief at AFIMSC.
In addition to enhanced cybersecurity, the contract includes increased risk management, system-managed upgrades and tech refreshes, and configuration control with bolstered system reliability and resiliency.
“Another key factor in this acquisition is that our mission partner is a commercial entity, which required consideration of commercial practices while driving the Department of Defense requirements, and strategically striking a balance to create the ‘win-win’ solution,” Bauer added.
Getting a Herculean effort like this across the finish line to contract award takes strong teamwork.
“There has been much collaboration at the MAJCOM level and between the 771st at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio; Maxwell AFB, Alabama; and the DAF LMR PMO in San Antonio, to ensure this contract addresses all requirements to meet the needs of our installations,” Bauer said.
AFIMSC and AFICC leadership, as well as the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics also supported the effort to ensure it aligned with the National Defense Strategy, SECAF’s Operational Initiatives and Air Force Materiel Command’s 2023 Strategic Plan.
“Coordination between all parties ensured that the contract award was executed in time to prevent any gaps in service. This is a critical communications system that must always remain operational so failure was never an option,” Bauer said.
“This ELMR consolidation contract effort was a lengthy but very rewarding process,” Lapierre added. “Aside from tangible cost avoidance and management efficiencies, the experience provided numerous learning opportunities that will prove beneficial in future efforts. Our team is very grateful to everyone involved for providing resources and entrusting the Air Force Negotiation Team to execute all objectives successfully.”
