In between the U.S. Navy and its contractors are thousands of pages of regulations, rules, laws, and policies that ensure the government receives the goods and services it requires at a fair and reasonable price, which guarantees careful spending of Americans’ tax dollars. The relationship gets complicated when, what seems to be a simple acquisition—one that private industry can undertake in a matter of minutes—becomes a matter of days or even weeks to accomplish via standalone procurements that are costly and administratively burdensome. This is especially frustrating for contracting specialists working to deliver expeditionary requirements due to the dynamic nature of expeditionary operations.
Naval Supply Systems Command (NAVSUP) worked hard to create a new solution to speed up contract awards for operating forces. Reflecting on the success of its October 2020 NAVSUP Global Husbanding Service Provider (HSP) Contract that accelerates source selection, eliminates unpriced items, and increases competition among 32 contractors, NAVSUP began researching how a new contracting approach could benefit contracting for the warfighter.
Analyzing nearly 7,000 procurements executed in overseas locations, the Team considered frequently recurring, no notice requirements, and identified recurring services and supplies that may be supported on a multi-award contract. From that data, NAVSUP developed the Worldwide Expeditionary Community Multi-Award Contract (WEXMAC) concept to move the Navy away from thousands of tactical, duplicative contracts to a strategic, worldwide multiple award contract with standardized cost elements and requirements definitions. The concept was further refined with the help of experts from OPNAV, Naval Special Warfare Command (NSWC), Navy Expeditionary Combat Command (NECC), Commander, Pacific Fleet (PACFLT) and United States Marine Corps, which has resulted in a dynamic contracting approach to meet all team members’ expeditionary requirements.
“To be awarded in mid-2021, WEXMAC takes into account 15 areas of supplies and services in logistics; ashore support; contingency support; humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HA/DR); and lodging,” said NAVSUP Assistant Commander for Contracting, Mark Bennington. “Across the world, 22 Navy and Marine Corps contracting regions will share the indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contract, which will include an estimated 50-100 contractors, securing an array of preferred vendors in a toolkit that is an effective, efficient, standardized vehicle to support the warfighter in an expeditionary environment.”
Bennington went on to say, “The WEXMAC aligns with NAVSUP’s Naval Sustainment System-Supply (NSS-Supply) initiative by delivering new efficiencies and increased predictability for expeditionary requirements, resulting in improved readiness across all of Navy.”
NSS-Supply is a combination of commercial best practices, process improvements, governance and oversight to maximize efficiencies and effectiveness within available means. It is a crucial component of NSS, a VCNO-led Navywide initiative embracing industry best practices tailored for Navy requirements and fleet operation. The Vice Chief of Naval Operations (VCNO) has designated NAVSUP as the supported commander for NSS-Supply.
“The WEXMAC concept is a critical enabler to the Navy Expeditionary Combat Force (NECF). WEXMAC provides NECC and the NECF with an Operational Contract Support capability to globally conduct and support fleet warfighting operations, reinforcing blue water lethality of the fleet by ensuring the NECF dominates in the littoral,” said Capt. Robert Mazzarella, Assistant Chief of Staff for Supply Operations, NECC N41.
NAVSUP Fleet Logistics Center (FLC) Yokosuka will support the WEXMAC as the procuring contracting office.
“NAVSUP FLC Yokosuka is the perfect fit to be the procuring contracting office thanks to their strong relationship and enduring support for the Pacific Fleet,” said NAVSUP FLC Yokosuka Commanding Officer Capt. Edward Pidgeon. “Over the past couple of months, my command has engaged NAVSUP’s mission partners, conducted market research with industry, and developed the acquisition plan to ensure all expeditionary requirements from small to large can be supported via the WEXMAC.”
NAVSUP released the WEXMAC synopsis of the Government Point of Entry, Beta.SAM.Gov (https://www.navsup.navy.mil/public/navsup/url/nMqF). The synopsis provides a notification to industry of release of the WEXMAC solicitation. NAVSUP FLC Yokosuka will host WEXMAC Industry Days on Monday, February 8, 2021 1600-1900 EST and Wednesday, February 10, 2021 0400-0700 EST. The WEXMAC Industry Days are an opportunity for the Navy to share information with prospective contractors.
NAVSUP plans to establish an expeditionary community for the Department of Navy by approaching expeditionary requirements programmatically with the WEXMAC being a living document, adjusting to lessons learned and future demand. NAVSUP also intends to allow all Federal agencies access to the WEXMAC, making the WEXMAC a federal-wide solution and supporting OMB’s Category Management goals. The WEXMAC would further support ongoing Navy, Joint Staff, and OSD Operational Contract Support efforts by providing a strategic contract vehicle for repeatable Navy and common-user requirements to meet humanitarian and disaster relief requirements.
“The flexibility provided by WEXMAC will enhance NECC’s ability to clear, secure, build and protect as we posture expeditionary forces in direct support of our nation’s most important operations and plans,” Mazzarella said.
The WEXMAC contract’s is estimated to be valued at $242 million over 10 years.
“I’m proud of our NAVSUP contracting team for originating this concept and refining it with our partners. NAVSUP’s work to bring this concept to award is exceptional and will have a resounding, positive impact on our expeditionary operations,” Bennington said.
NAVSUP procures supplies and services for all non-contracting Navy activities that comprise the Navy Field Contracting System (NFCS) for which no other Navy Head of Contracting Activity (HCA) is delegated contracting authority and conducts the periodic oversight of NFCS activities executing NAVSUP HCA delegated contracting authority. NAVSUP is responsible for 45% of the Navy’s overall contracting requirements. In FY20, NAVSUP awarded $7.8 billion in Navy contracts.
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. NAVSUP FLC Yokosuka is one of eight FLCs under Commander, NAVSUP. Learn more at www.navsup.navy.mil, www.facebook.com/navsup and https://twitter.com/navsupsyscom.