Photo By Rick Emert | FORT CARSON, Colo. — Spc. Jonathan Alvarado, aircraft structural repairer, 4th...... read more read more
By Scott Prater
Mountaineer staff
FORT CARSON, Colo. — Local contractor crews completed an electrical project inside a hangar at Butts Army Heliport May 2, 2022. As a result, 4th Combat Aviation Brigade Soldiers now have use of a vital tool in their efforts to repair and maintain the brigade’s fleet of helicopters.
At first glance, the relatively small repair project seems unremarkable — crews installed a power line in a building inside the 4th CAB footprint.
But, the project holds special significance for Fort Carson and the City of Fountain as it represents the first project to be completed under an intergovernmental support agreement (IGSA) that the community partners signed last summer.
At the time of the July 2021 signing, U.S. Army Garrison Fort Carson and City of Fountain leaders touted the agreement as not only beneficial to the Army and the city, but to taxpayers and local businesses.
Col. Nate Springer, garrison commander, Fort Carson, explained that the pact would significantly shorten the bidding-and-contractor-selection process for small projects or repairs in buildings on the Mountain Post.
“We conduct a lot of big projects, but that selection process can take as long as six months to complete,” he said at the time of signing. “Whereas, if we have a relatively small project – say an electrical repair on a single floor in a building, we can now simply contact Fountain city officials, who can send their selected contractor on post and have that project completed in a much shorter time frame. It really helps us deliver services faster and better for our Soldiers, civilians and Family members.”
For this specific project, 4th CAB Soldiers needed a dedicated, reliable electrical source to power a downdraft table in one of their maintenance bays. The downdraft table pulls air from its surface down and through air filters, allowing the Soldiers to conduct repair work, which can produce harmful particulates, in a safe manner.
John Trylch, IGSA administrator for the city of Fountain, believes this is exactly the type of project the IGSA was designed to address.
“We (Fountain city administrators) don’t have to go through the full contracting process every time,” he said. “When Fort Carson sends us a proposal, I package that and conduct a short competitive bid with the three main contractors we have chosen. This way, we are still able to compete for the best value and highest quality. It dramatically speeds up the (contracting bid) process.”
Trylch indicated that Wells & West General Contractors (in Colorado Springs), was chosen for this project and ended up completing the work on budget and on time – less than 60 days.
A Fort Carson Directorate of Public Works team inspected and approved the project Monday, signaling its completion.
“This is a wonderful process,” said Abraham Merinar, project manager for Wells & West. “It’s much more accessible for local contractors than going through the typical procurement process. Our arrangement maintains competition while also allowing for a really expeditious bid process. From my side of the table, it makes it a lot easier and more pleasant to work with the post and help get these projects done quickly.”
Trylch said he expects two similar type projects at Fort Carson to be sent out for bid soon.
| Date Taken: | 05.02.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 05.13.2022 13:03 |
| Story ID: | 420679 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 21 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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