SAN ANTONIO, Texas -- Brig. Gen. Laura Lenderman, commander, 502nd Air Base Wing and Joint Base San Antonio, and Diane Rath, Alamo Area Council of Governments executive director, signed a historical agreement at the AACOG Board of Directors meeting Sept. 25.
This new blanket Intergovernmental Support Agreement, or IGSA, will afford JBSA the opportunity to bring requirements they would normally fill through traditional federal contracting actions to AACOG. AACOG and its member governments could then fulfill these requirements through their own capabilities and local contractors. This streamlines the procurement process, which is also expected to save millions of dollars for JBSA as the agreement matures.
"We are thrilled to be the lynchpin of transformational change in the relationship between JBSA and our region," Rath said. "This agreement creates a much more symbiotic relationship between the many missions of JBSA and the communities that host those missions.
"This new relationship will ensure JBSA is able to focus on its true mission to deter war and protect the security of our country," Rath added. "It will also translate into a new stream of revenue for our local governments. Best of all, we will be able to do this at no cost to local taxpayers. We couldn't have achieved this historic milestone without the commitment of the leadership of JBSA to this community."
AACOG has been actively engaged in supporting JBSA and its missions in the entire region for a number of years. In 2017, AACOG facilitated the first IGSA between the City of San Antonio and JBSA for a paving project. This led directly to this historic new Blanket IGSA.
"The impact that the IGSA will have on our installation is tremendous," Lenderman said. "With the support of our AACOG teammates, we will be able to save time and money as we improve installation support for the men and women living and working in and around JBSA" she added.
The new AACOG-JBSA agreement takes this type of relationship and creates an opportunity for AACOG and its 70 member governments throughout their 13-county region.
Only one other blanket IGSA exists, between the U.S. Army and the Presidio of Monterey Services Agency in Monterey, California. This relationship has been in place for several decades, and according to the Army Audit Agency, saves the Presidio of Monterey an annual 22% in operation support costs.
Intergovernmental Support Agreements, authorized by Congress in the 2013 National Defense Authorization Act, allow for sole-source purchasing discussions between military installations and state or local government entities.
IGSAs also waive federal wage rates and the extensive regulations imposed by the Federal Acquisition Regulations. IGSAs may be for terms of up to 10 years, and may be renewed indefinitely.
An IGSA allows state and local government entities to recover all their direct and indirect costs in supporting the military. This provides local leaders with budget flexibility and ensures that local tax dollars do not supplement the federal budget.