MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- The 6th Contracting Squadron at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida, received the 2017 Small Business Director’s Beyond Goals Award, March 19, 2018.
This Air Force level award is given to the contracting squadron that best meets its small business and community engagement goals each fiscal year.
In total, 6th CONS spent $210 million, with $185.5 million being spent on small businesses within the Tampa and nearby communities.
For most squadrons, saving money and staying under budget while maintaining peak performance is ideal. However, for 6th CONS, spending as much of the allowed budget is how they accomplish their mission to be local partners while completing goals set by leadership.
“During the end of Fiscal Year 2017, the 6th CONS Specialized Acquisitions Flight awarded a contract portfolio valued at $53 million, of which $48 million went to small businesses,” said 1st Lt. Joseph Berling, the specialized acquisition flight commander assigned to 6th CONS. “We also take great pride in our work because we know that small businesses are the engine of the American economy.”
Through awarding contracts to small businesses, MacDill directly impacts the community in which it resides, helping economic growth while also establishing itself as a community partner.
“By spending money and helping out small businesses first, we also create jobs and opportunities, which therefore helps the community that MacDill is a part of,” said Berling. “We want to be a strong community partner and that starts by working with small businesses.”
MacDill AFB has been a part of the Tampa community since 1941 and has maintained a strong partnership with local businesses for more than 77 years.
“How we accomplish our mission is by imparting a good relationship with our small business partners while also educating them on a mutually beneficial partnership,” said Lilliam Maldonado, a small business specialist assigned to the 6th CONS. “We always want to give opportunities to small businesses first and will exhaust every option to make that happen before looking to a bigger business to meet the needs of an individual project.”
This year, the 6th CONS has multiple contracts such as ground maintenance service, furnishing management, facility management escort support and various construction contracts underway.
“We are always looking for more opportunities to work with our local, small business contractors,” said Maldonado. “We must continue to look for new and better ways to get involved with the community that has always been so supportive of our base and military service members.”
MacDill’s door is always open to seeking new opportunities and hopes to continue strengthening its relationship and presence within the Tampa community.
“The most visible way we interact with the local populace is by allowing local small businesses to come on base and meet with us,” said Berling. “It is in this way that we demonstrate our role as military professionals and form lasting business partnerships with the small businesses in the local area.”