RICHMOND, Va. –
Providing global humanitarian assistance is not a new mission for the Defense Logistics Agency. Once again, the agency is partnering with other federal agencies to do what is does best – provide logistics support when and where it’s needed.
In February, DLA Aviation started looking at its chemical, petroleum, oils and lubricants contract with Science Applications International Corporation to review products available to fight the spread of the coronavirus.
DLA Aviation’s SAIC chemical and petroleum contract provides disinfectants and hand sanitizers to military services along with the Defense Department, the Federal Aviation Administration and other federal customers.
Jodi Beard has been with the activity through several humanitarian missions including Operation United Assistance which supported the fight against the Ebola virus in 2014. Beard is an acquisition specialist on the Process Health Team, Business Compliance and Audit Sustainment Division of DLA Aviation’s Audit and Process Compliance Directorate. She also acts as the DLA Aviation liaison officer assigned to the DLA Headquarters’ Agency Synchronization Operations Center.
The initial SAIC contract was awarded when DLA Aviation privatized supply of that category of products based on 2005 Base Realignment and Closure recommendations. Beard was the acquisition specialist responsible for securing the follow-on 2016 SAIC contract and remembered that SAIC had provided DLA Aviation a list of items supporting the Ebola crisis.
She updated that list with items to monitor for COVID-19 when she reached out to Contract Specialist Tonya Green, who works in DLA Aviation’s Supplier Operations Original Equipment Manufacturer Directorate.
DLA Aviation is currently tracking a total of 83 National Stock Numbers for COVID-19 support and has received 1,978 requisitions for the 83 items since March 1.
Green said DLA’s pre-COVID-19 forecast for just two of the items being tracked included 896 bottles of hand sanitizer and 279 gallons of aircraft disinfectant.
As the pandemic continues, global demand for cleaning and disinfecting supplies has exploded. In March, the Defense Department’s Joint Staff established a Joint Materiel Priorities and Allocation Board to prioritize and allocate the department’s personal protective equipment in response to the outbreak beginning with DOD medical activities and the resupply of medical treatment facilities.
Due to the high demand and critical need, Green and DLA Aviation Chemists, Pirom “CJ” Sriunal and Lawrence Thorogood have been working closely with SAIC to monitor and actively identify new sanitation products, such as the aircraft disinfecting wipes and creating new NSNs to meet customer needs. The contract includes three different types of hand sanitizers and six types of aircraft disinfectants.
“Over the last month we have received orders for 103,440 bottles of hand sanitizer, 6,867 gallons of aircraft disinfectant and 112,900 aircraft disinfectant wipes,” said Green.
DLA Aviation and SAIC are working closely with suppliers and customers to expedite material and incoming requisitions.