The cell behind Team Money Published Aug. 25, 2012 By Senior Airman Joe Wells 386th Expeditionary Contracting Squadron SOUTHWEST ASIA -- The 386th Expeditionary Contracting Squadron consists of ten military members who are responsible for the acquisitions for every organization on base. The structure is headed by a squadron commander, and a superintendant. The remaining eight are all self-sufficient Contingency Contracting Officers, holding varying obligation limits called a warrant. For all intents and purposes, each individual is completely independent, each with their own set of contracts for which they are solely responsible. The primary focus of the contracting squadron is to responsibly spend tax payer money in the most effective and efficient manner while abiding by all laws and regulations. Being a CCO requires highly specialized skills and effective management of an immense workload. This would not be possible without reach back support. In late March, the contracting office began to use a newly-constructed resource called the Reach Back Cell. The primary focus of this was to send the less complicated acquisitions to a stateside organization for sourcing and payment. This cell consists of five Airmen stationed at Shaw Air Force Base, S.C., who help to alleviate the amount of deployments needed for CCO's who are currently on a one-to-one deployment schedule. This also aids in communicating with stateside businesses that are in time zones significantly behind the deployed location. The reach back cell is manned by Airmen on deployment medical waivers and new contracting accessions. This resource helps to multiply a squadron of ten people to fifteen without the Airmen actually being located in the area of responsibility, and without a break in services for customers. Since the cell's inception, they have processed 133 requirements with only 16 currently still out for award. They have obligated more than $288,000 and the average time from certification of the Air Force Form 9, Purchase Request, to the delivery of items has been 33 days with four days being the quickest delivery. The range of supplies procured can be endless and can vary greatly in size, price and description. Examples of the capabilities include fire alarm maintenance parts for $38,000 or simple dummy rounds for training, which only cost $169. "The Reach Back Cell has been an invaluable asset to the CCOs in the AOR," said 1st Lt. Aaron Velasco, Commodity Flight Chief. "By providing contracting support for items commercially available in the states, the RB Cell has enabled CCOs to focus on complex/unique requirements. "From back-up theater projector bulbs for the 386th Expeditionary Force Support Squadron to hydraulic cutter blades for the 386th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron, the RB Cell has done their part to support the mighty Marauders," he continued. Most importantly, the reach-back cell allows CCO's to focus on the administration of active construction and service contracts to ensure compliance with the contract, such as critical requirements like the assurance of power for the base and runway repairs for the flight line. The possible future loss of contracting bodies in order to support other missions in the region makes having a capability like the reach back cell important. It is a great example of forward thinking to stay ahead of the power curve. The strain of buying and administering requirements for the entire base split up among fewer people would be difficult to sustain. It would greatly decrease the quality of work the air base is accustomed to seeing without a system in place like the reach back cell. "Currently one contracting Airman is the holder of the contract to fix all of the substations on base and ensure minimal blackouts and power outages occur," Capt Dawud Shillingford, 386th Expeditionary Contracting Squadron commander. "Through constant planning and meetings, the number of outages has decreased, resulting in a streamlined contracting process for future projects. "The time and attention required to be sure that this project is successful could not be achieved without the benefit of the cell alleviating the contracting representative from numerous less complicated and repetitive everyday purchases," he added. The mission is to provide all customers on base with timely service and acquire what is needed to make this mission successful while simultaneously balancing the interests of taxpayers, businesses and the Government, and adhering to thousands of pages of acquisition laws and regulations. The squadron works to ensure every requirement presented is bought with integrity and due diligence. They serve as base's business advisors to help find a solution to procuring whatever is needed to complete the mission. With the essential help of the reach back cell, the Marauder team can successfully prepare, engage and defend the base, our host nation, and our area of responsibility.