SOTO CANO AIR BASE –
The Soto Cano Regional Contracting Office here was named the 410th Contracting Support Brigade's "Office of the Year" for 2010 in a ceremony held in San Antonio, Texas, 13 Dec.
The RCO received the award based on the outstanding level of performance provided to the base and to Joint Task Force-Bravo, mission impact, and improvements made in both processes and in the office environment.
There are four other regional contracting offices under the 410th CSB based out of Fort Sam Houston, Texas. They are located in Miami, Fla., Key West, Fla., Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and Bogota, Columbia. One of the reasons the Soto Cano RCO received the award was their 95% competition rate, which well surpassed the goal set by the CSB.
"The competition rate is the number of contracts that are bid out," said Mr. Rodney P. Prickett, RCO director. "The bidding process increases our chances of obtaining the best value based on technical qualifications, materials, price and time for completion."
During the fiscal year 2010, the RCO issued 400 contracting actions worth over nine million dollars, including three construction projects at the U.S. Embassy in Tegucigalpa, projects throughout Honduras engineered by U.S. Navy "Sea Bees" and numerous supply and service contracts for base operations here.
"Our mission here at Soto Cano is to contribute to regional stability and peace," said Col. Gregory D. Reilly, JTF-B commander. "We couldn't accomplish our mission without the support that the RCO provides. They perform to the highest standard, and couldn't be more deserving of this recognition."
The Soto Cano RCO was established in 1985 along with the base. There is one Department of Defense civilian, three U.S. military personnel, and six FSNs. The FSNs have a combined total of 65 years of contracting experience, with one having served the position for the past 22 years.
Capt. Matthew A. Fahrner, former Deputy Chief of Contracting now redeployed to his home station at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, said it was an incredible honor to be selected.
"It just shows the tremendous dedication to customer service and the mission by our Foreign Service Nationals and military personnel and the daily impact our contracts have," Capt. Fahrner said.