Photo By Carlos Cuebas | Omarf Ortega from the Grounds and Beautification Department in Caguas City met with...... read more read more
FORT BUCHANAN, PUERTO RICO – Omarf Ortega from the Grounds and Beautification Department in Caguas City met with Lt. Col. Sean K. Cook, the deputy commander of Fort Buchanan, along with Maria Lopez, the Directorate of Public Works (DPW) director, Jonathan Roman Salas, the chief of Fort Buchanan's Business Operations and Integration Division, and other staff members at the command headquarters, Sept 18. The purpose of the meeting was to gather additional information for a potential intergovernmental agreement between their organizations.
Intergovernmental Support Agreements (IGSAs) are formal partnerships between Army installations and state or local governments for support services. These agreements exclude traditional contracting statutes and Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR). IGSAs leverage existing government-to-government relationships, allowing for flexibility and potential cost savings by simplifying the procurement process. This enables collaboration on various services, ranging from waste management and road maintenance to fire extinguisher upkeep and water testing.
Lt. Col. Cook highlighted the advantages of IGSAs compared to traditional federal contracts, which permit Fort Buchanan and the municipality of Caguas to customize the agreement terms.
“We can draft the agreement in a way that benefits both Caguas Municipality and Fort Buchanan. Additionally, an IGSA allows us to forgo providing a contract officer representative since it's the city's contract. Caguas would oversee the contract as needed,” Cook stated.
Roman Salas outlined the areas of the installation covered by the current grounds’ maintenance contract, which addresses the primary maintenance needs.
“The green areas on the installation map are those affected by this contract, primarily involving grass, trees, tree pruning, and vegetation removal, along with cleaning some areas related to vegetation,” Roman explained, while emphasizing the importance of timely grounds maintenance, especially in high-traffic or mission-critical areas, which represents a potential opportunity for municipal emergency support.
Ortega pointed out the significance of maintaining effective communication between the city and the installation.
“If we communicate effectively, I believe we won’t encounter problems. However, if we fail to communicate, everything becomes difficult,” Ortega stated.
Following the meeting, the DPW team and Ortega toured the installation to assess areas that would be covered by the IGSA agreement. Ortega mentioned that the city administrator and mayor are inclined to establish the agreement.
“Based on what I observed today, I believe this partnership can happen. I will do my part to make it work,” Ortega said.
By pursuing an IGSA with the city of Caguas, the fifth most populated municipality in Puerto Rico, Fort Buchanan is proactively working to safeguard and maintain the installation’s infrastructure. This action also ensures that mission-critical areas and grounds are properly cared for and operationally ready.
With an annual budget of nearly $500 million, Fort Buchanan supports approximately 15,000 military personnel, including active-duty members, Reservists, Puerto Rico National Guard members, Marine Corps Reservists, and Navy Reservists. The installation's mission focuses on enhancing readiness and facilitating the deployment of forces anywhere, at any time.
| Date Taken: | 09.25.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 09.25.2025 10:31 |
| Story ID: | 549277 |
| Location: | PR |
| Web Views: | 24 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Building an IGSA Agreement between Fort Buchanan and Caguas City, by David Hernandez, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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