$450M space, missile contract transitions to 21st SW

Published May 21, 2012
By 21st Space Wing Program Management Division

PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. -- The 21st Space Wing recently adopted the huge Contract for Space and Missile Capabilities.

With a ceiling of $450 million and a performance period through Aug. 5, 2015, the CSMC provides Headquarters Air Force Space Command customers management and professional support services; studies, analyses and evaluations; and engineering and technical services to improve operations of systems supporting AFSPC missions.

In the mutual agreement between Jeffrey Allen, Headquarters AFSPC director of Logistics, Installations and Mission Support, and Col. Chris Crawford, 21st Space Wing commander, the CSMC program has transitioned to the 21st Space Wing Program Management Division.

"The transition to PMD was both necessary and logical," Crawford said. "It was necessary because deep cost saving measures have resulted in the realignment of workload within the headquarters organization that previously managed the CSMC program."

"It was logical, because PMD currently manages most 21st Space Wing mission programs and has more than 275 years of combined program and quality management experience supporting our wing mission programs," Crawford said.

With four prime contractor teams including 65 sub-contractor partners and 23 active task orders, Edmund Bohn, 21st SW PMD director admits that the transition from a headquarters managed to a wing-managed program will have its share of challenges.

"Fortunately, we are a very innovative and disciplined operation with proven processes that have allowed us to effectively execute 21st SW programs for our geographically separated units for many, many years," Bohn said.

"We are also forward-thinking and forward-leaning. To better manage this new workload we plan on bringing to the organization proven, mature and highly-effective integrated capabilities. We need automated, analytical tools that integrate and consolidate program, quality, contracting and financial management systems into a single modular, user-friendly and secure enclave that more effectively manages, trends, audits, reports and analyzes performance data to enhance decision-making capability," Bohn said.

From May 1-4, PMD hosted a Tools Integration and Implementation forum with the government system designer from the Electronic Systems Center. Also participating in the cross-collaboration workshop were representatives from HQ AFSPC, ESC, Space and Missile Center, Patrick AFB, Fla., as well as many 21st SW organizations.

"It was an incredibly successful workshop," Bohn said. "I'm excited about bringing these unprecedented enterprise capabilities here to the 21st Space Wing."

"In short, we exist to not only serve our geographically separated units but also our mission partners here at Peterson; we will do everything possible to provide CSMC users first-class PMD services," he said. Although taking on a new workload and customer, PMD views it as an opportunity to advance its vision to become the premier provider of program and quality management services in the Air Force.

"Given the outstanding support we've received from the command during this transition, we are well on our way toward fulfilling this very vision," Bohn said.