KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. -- Keesler set a new record in fiscal year 2022 by effectively doubling procured resources for wing improvement, totaling approximately $20 million for unfunded requests.
The 81st Comptroller Squadron played a vital role during this process from the first day of the fiscal year, Oct, 1, 2021, by educating the base on the importance of starting processes early and working with the appropriate amount of risk.
“We can attribute a lot of our end-of-year success to the 81st Civil Engineer Squadron for being visionaries with their projects, and the 81st Contracting Squadron for continuously being ready to execute and award contracts,” said Maj. Christopher O’Dell, 81st CPTS commander. “We really saw the fruits of our labor come forth in the last two months of the fiscal year as we were greatly rewarded for a year’s worth of hard work.”
Using the increased backing, the 81st CONS was able to fund over 550 project actions, such as the Base Operations Support (BOS) Service Contract. Keesler’s largest service contract, BOS, provides all civil engineer functions, supply functions, weather services and more.
Some notable uses of the contract include storm recovery efforts, renovations and heating, ventilation and air conditioning repairs.
“The funds Keesler received goes a long way, delivering huge wins for our four priorities of people, installation, community and mission,” said O’Dell. “We revamped the technology for students and instructors in the 81st Training Group, bringing in new laptops, tablets and monitors, to name a few.”
The training group will also see state-of-the-art interactive courseware including 3D models, animations, interactive video and other animations, as defined in the contract, for Explosive Ordinance Disposal, Aircraft Armament Systems and other Air Force Specialty Code students.
“We increased student safety through the replacement of outdated systems in the 81st TRG dormitories and the Levitow Training Support Facility,” said Kimberley Alvarez, 81st CONS commodities section chief. “This project, Base Camera project, has been in the works for 2-3 years.”
In addition to student safety, the project also upgrades security force’s visibility of the base by 700 percent and provides coverage for the airfield and the capability to record and store license plate information with room for future add-ons.
“Over the next few months, we will continue to put in the time and effort with each unit to outline the budget playbook needed to posture for yet another successful fiscal year, funding our training mission, and delivering of focused, driven warriors,” said O’Dell.