NAVSUP WSS fixed-wing contracts fuel cost-saving initiatives

Photo By Seaman Dalton Reidhead | 201014-N-FQ453-1017 ARABIAN GULF (Oct. 14, 2020) An F/A-18F Super Hornet, from the "Fighting Redcocks" of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 22, prepares to perform an arrested recovery on the flight deck aboard the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68). Nimitz, the flagship of Nimitz Carrier Strike Group, is deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations, conducting missions in support of Operation Inherent Resolve, and maritime security operations alongside regional and coalition partners. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Dalton Reidhead/Released)  

PHILADELPHIA, PA, UNITED STATES

10.01.2021

Story by Brian Jones 

NAVSUP Weapon Systems Support

The Naval Aviation Enterprise (NAE) implemented Naval Sustainment System-Aviation (NSS-A) in 2019 to boost mission capable (MC) rates of F/A-18 Super Hornet and EA-18G Growler fleets to 80 percent. With that goal achieved, NSS-A focus turned to sustaining and expanding on early successes including creative problem-solving efforts at Naval Supply Systems Command, Weapon Systems Support (NAVSUP WSS).
NSS-A is a modernized sustainment ecosystem designed to achieve and maintain naval aircraft readiness goals by leveraging best practices across communities to drive improvement in maintenance, supply and governance activities. The Supply Chain Reform pillar of NSS-A, championed by NAVSUP WSS, aims to ensure parts are at the right place at the right time by acting as the single accountable entity responsible for the end-to-end (E2E) supply chain.
NAVSUP WSS continues to improve the Navy’s supply chain with more responsive contracting, supplier integration, enhanced customer presence and improved collaboration to include initiatives within Vice Chief of Naval Operation’s NSS-A Cost Pillar.
Like NSS-A, NAVSUP WSS’ initiatives initially focused on the F/A-18.
“The Fixed Wing Contracts Department is working along-side F/A-18 Integrated Weapons Support Team on multiple efforts in support of VCNO’s goal to capture $300 million in savings,” said Lt. Cmdr. Hisham Semaan, NAVSUP WSS Director of Fixed Wing Contracts.
The Fixed Wing Contracts Team leads the ‘Improve Prices of Commercial Spares and Repairs’ initiative, according to Semaan. This initiative captures savings driven by combining spares and repairs on the same contract vehicle, leveraging production runs and having an ability to better coordinate and prioritize requirements.
“We are improving prices of commercial spares and reducing commercial spend,” said Semaan. “We intend to use our increased buying power to maximize quantity breaks on material, reduce non-recurring engineering (NRE) costs, in addition to influencing spare and repair capacity and deliveries to the fleet.”
Through the F/A-18 initiative, NAVSUP WSS was able to quickly realize $2.2 million in savings by leveraging spares procurement with concurrent Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) production buys that achieved quantity price breaks.
The Fixed Wing Contracts Department is now applying the same initiative to all aviation IWSTs.
“Scaling our successes across all aviation platforms drove our annual savings goal from $2.2 million to nearly $10 million,” said Semaan. “We’ve already begun execution of our expanded plan and initial indication is that many of our contractual efforts will materialize in the near future.”
While ‘Improve Prices of Commercial Spares and Repairs’ is an NSS-A initiative, it also aligns with Naval Sustainment System-Supply (NSS-S), which is a combination of commercial best practices, process improvements, governance and oversight to maximize effectiveness while prioritizing and balancing costs. NSS-S is comprised of six key pillars, one of which is to increase end-to-end supply chain velocity.
“NSS-Supply is a natural complement to the Navy’s NSS framework. NSS-S focuses on the lowest cost that supports readiness. A long-term, proactive look to address tomorrow’s issues,” said John Soracco, NAVSUP WSS Chief Logistician for Aviation. “NAVSUP WSS is best positioned to see the end-to-end supply chain across all Warfighting Enterprises (NAE, SWE, UWE, Etc.) in the Navy, integrating coordination, synchronization, and governance … ultimately delivering higher performance and less cost to the warfighter.”

“Combining spares and repairs into a single contract vehicle not only leads to improved prices, it also streamlines previous bifurcated spare and repair procurement process, thus, improving acquisition time,” said Semaan. “Increase E2E Velocity pillar aims to shorten repair turnaround times and maximize responsiveness to mission partner needs. We certainly believe our strategic contracting approach contributes to the overall success of this pillar.”

Regardless of the NSS initiative supported, NAVSUP WSS’ Fixed Wing Contracts Team continues to support Naval readiness through innovative supply chain management.

“The tremendous effort from the Fixed Wing Contracts Team is achieving near term savings, but the end goal is to quickly supply material at a reduced cost to the warfighter,” said Cmdr. Matt Duncan, NAVSUP WSS Director of Acquisition Policy. “The efficiencies gained by consolidating procurement management of spares and repairs will lead to those long-term cost reductions as well as further enhancing end-to-end supply chain management.”

NAVSUP WSS is one of 11 commands under Commander, NAVSUP. Headquartered in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, and employing a diverse, worldwide workforce of more than 22,500 military and civilian personnel. NAVSUP's mission is to provide supplies, services, and quality-of-life support to the Navy and joint warfighter. Learn more at www.navsup.navy.mil, www.facebook.com/navsupwss and https://twitter.com/navsupsyscom.

• Date Taken: 10.01.2021
• Date Posted: 10.01.2021 11:42
• Story ID: 406496
• Location: PHILADELPHIA, PA, US