NEWSLETTER copy for IAP Worldwide Service's Leading Edge Newsletter

Jacksonville Navy sites depend on RBOS team

The Jax RBOS team has a deserved reputation for being a standout among IAP Worldwide Services sites. Now in the eighth year of a potential 10-year Regional Base Operating Support contract for the Department of the Navy, the team keeps pushing itself to serve its customers better.

IAP President Dave Swindle says “The Jax group is a continually improving team offering superior customer service, workforce safety and health, and financial performance. We can all learn from the team’s successes.”

Led by General Manager Len Scullion, the IAP-Hill project is a joint venture of managing partner IAP Worldwide Services and CH2MHILL.

 The contract employs about 300 IAP-Hill workers and 50 regular subcontractors. Special projects typically require an additional 30 to 40 subcontractors each year.

“We have the advantage of being a mature team, so our functional areas and our support systems – including safety and health, central planning, quality, purchasing and subcontracting, warehousing and supply, IT, human resources and financial management, - are all well-honed,” Len says.

The three primarily sites for the contract are the Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Naval Station Mayport and U.S. Marine Corps Blount Island Command. While IAP provides similar support services at the three sites, including facilities and equipment maintenance and transportation, each site has its unique support functions. For example, grounds maintenance is provided at Blount Island and waterfront ship services, called “hotel services,” at Mayport.

The IAP-Hill group has also been called upon to support other Navy sites within a 300-mile radius as part of the RBOS contract. Team members have traveled as far as Key West to provide support.

“We keep things running smoothly so the war fighter to do his or her job,” says Susan Thibodeaux, Jax RBOS Assistant General Manager and Contracts Manager.

The contract has been a dynamic one with expansions and contractions. For example, the Blount Island site was added to the contract in 2005. On the other side of the coin, the USS Kennedy was decommissioned in 2007 and family housing was privatized that year.

The team has proven its worth by providing excellent support during all transitions says Bob Phillips, vice president, FM Ops, Navy/Marine/Civilian.

"Remarkably the Jax site has been able to create ever stronger relationships with their customers over the years by quickly and efficiently responding to every challenge thrown at them. The group proves its worth to its customers day after day, year after year," Bob says.

Len says he’s proud of his team for knowing the customers’ missions and base operating support needs as well and in some cases better than they do. He believes the team’s performance will be an advantage when the RBOS contract comes up for rebid.

“Our IAP-Hill professionals show ownership 168 hours a week – every week – and have earned our Navy and Marine Corps customers trust at every level. Our customers view us as vital members of their teams,” he says.

A focus on creating good relationships in general is a signature of the Jax RBOS team. Len points to the solid cooperation of IAP-Hill with its collective bargaining units, IBEW and IUOE locals. The union groups have approved agreements that will take them beyond the end of the RBOS contract in 2010.

“Through open communications and fair-handedness, we have developed trust and mutual respect that have proven time and again to benefit our workforce, our customers and our company,” Len says.

In addition to creating an abundance of goodwill the team has also excelled financially. Finance Manager Rich Gladchuk and his team have worked with managers to speed billing. In addition, the team has instituted a system whereby customers are alerted to the balance in the project’s “checkbook,” so they may seek additional funding when needed in a timely manner.

Chief Financial Officer James Jennings applauds their efforts.

"Jax RBOS is proactive in billing and helping the customer keep within budget just as they are proactive in maintaining superb customer service levels. The team is contributing greatly to IAP’s financial health," James says.