Updating security systems, replacing carpeting and installing access ladders are all small projects that add up to one big project.
Two years ago, the Charleston District issued its first Job Order Contract (JOC). The JOC is the perfect vehicle for the District to award smaller projects; it allows for a large number of repair, maintenance and minor construction projects to be completed under a single contract rather than issuing individual contracts for each small project. The JOC saves time and money for the District and for the customer, Joint Base Charleston (JBC). JBC encompasses a wide range of organizations such as Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command, Surface Deployment and Distribution Command, Army Strategic Logistics Agency-Charleston, Nuclear Power Training Unit, Naval Munitions Command and Mission Support Group, just to name a few. The District has done work for all of these agencies.
The five-year JOC, that was awarded to Northcon, Inc., won’t exceed $15 million, and of that amount, $7.5 million has been awarded on task orders with another $2.5 million expected to be awarded by the end of fiscal year 2014.
“We anticipate that we will hit the $15 million limit by this time next year,” said Josh Mueller, contracting specialist. “Once that happens, we will set up another JOC to continue serving our customers.”
The District has awarded approximately 30 task orders under the JOC that vary greatly. One order can have several small projects under it. For example, ASLAC has a lengthy list of items such as repairing overhead lighting, upgrading restrooms, constructing new offices and installing an HVAC system; the total of all these projects combined was approximately $865,000. Other orders under the JOC can have just one project. For example, replacing rotting timber cap rails with a sturdy composite rail along the TC Dock for SDDC, which was approximately $80,000 to replace.
“I have projects that are approximately $640,000 to projects that are $1.5 million,” said Charlie Johnson, architect and project manager. “No job is too big or too small for the Corps to do.”
One of the more unusual projects the District has done was relocating an antenna field for SPAWAR. While the budget wasn’t very big, it required a fair amount of work.
“The site the antennas were on was re-purposed as a building site, so we moved the four antennas across the street,” said Brendan Kight, project engineer. “Before we could do anything we had to remove all the trees from the new site and grade and grub the area, which required a permit from the South Carolina Department of Health & Environmental Control.”
Diverse contracting tools and an experienced staff give the District the ability to complete any size project and provide the best service possible to all of our customers.