Engineers save money for other units

by Capt. Brian Maguire
501st Combat Support Wing Public Affairs

4/18/2014 - RAF ALCONBURY, United Kingdom -- Airmen with the 423rd Civil Engineer Squadron developed and executed an innovative plan to save money for several mission partners at RAF Molesworth.

Refitting and reopening dormitory space on RAF Alconbury enabled the 501st Combat Support Wing's mission partners to significantly reduce lodging costs for personnel assigned on temporary duty here.

"The request for contingency bed space came from the commander of [U.S. Africa Command J2-Molesworth] and eventually the [Joint Analysis Center]," said John Barr, 423rd CES deputy base civil engineer. "We had a previous facility/dorm that was deactivated several years ago so we looked at the cost of restoring the facility to living quarters that were up to Air Force standards."

Before offering up the old dormitory space, the 423rd CES had to inspect the rooms and evaluate the facility to return it to acceptable living conditions.

"Mr. Barr came to us and asked us the feasibility of [reopening the rooms]," said Stuart Chalmers, 423rd CES heating, ventilation and air conditioning shop chief. "He asked us to go around and look at the scope of work and what was involved in reopening rooms that had been closed for five or six years, and reestablishing systems that had been offline for the same amount of time."

Determining the feasibility and laying out the plan involved approximately 42 people from different organizations to accomplish the necessary tasks to reopen the rooms.

"It was a team effort with CE, contracting, [Defence Infrastructure Organisation], U.K. contractors, and finance folks working to buy and install materials before year-end close out," said Barr.

Meeting the projects overall goal of saving money required each section worked diligently to find the best prices within the short timeframe, which often resulted in local purchases.

"I did a bit of research looking for the best prices to meet the needs of the dorm rooms, but also to get the best price with the funds we had," said Hubert Braganza, 423rd CES chief of furnishings management.

"All of the furnishings were bought locally," continued Braganza. "It was bought locally because in the timespan we had, we couldn't have bought anything from Europe or the states because of the shipping charges and it would take too long to arrive."

The team completed the project within 30 days, providing 30 rooms for personnel on temporary assignment and saving approximately $655,000 annually in lodging costs. The savings gained were almost as important as providing a homey atmosphere for the personnel on temporary assignment.

"It was really just trying to make it as comfortable as possible for people who have to spend a year of their lives in these rooms," said Chalmers. "The guys are always conscious of that, these are people's homes, so you want them to be good."