AMC’s workforce has been recognized repeatedly by both public- and civilian-sector organizations for excellence. Among the honors AMC has received are 31 Shingo Prizes for Excellence in Manufacturing; recognition as a Reuters Top 100 Global Innovator; Secretary of Defense Environmental Awards; and numerous presidential rank and civilian service awards.

It’s a workforce also recognized for extreme efficiency, as Dwyer pointed out, with numerous Lean Six Sigma and value engineering awards. “We don’t settle on the efficiency we achieve today,” he said. “We’re always striving to make our processes better, more economical, faster, and cheaper while maintaining quality. In the last four years, across the organic industrial base, we’ve saved about $1.2 billion in cost avoidance due to our efforts in Lean Six Sigma.”

Dwyer is also proud of AMC’s safety record. “We’ve driven down our safety stats for the last 10 years,” he said. “We are basically the only government agency that has reduced the worker’s comp bill – and in the last 10 years, we have reduced that across the command by 13 percent. So when companies come to us for partnering and they want to use our labor and our skilled workforce, they know they’ll get a very knowledgeable workforce, a high-tech workforce, and one that is very, very safe.”

An additional bonus for private companies is that by entering into a partnership with AMC, they may be able to avoid many of the burdens and regulatory requirements that have already been met: AMC facilities are already secure, in compliance with Occupational Safety and Health Administration regulations, and in many cases, already hold the often difficult-to-obtain hazardous waste permits commonly associated with depot and munitions work.

 

Getting Started

Given all these potential advantages, a partnership relationship with an AMC installation may seem like a good idea regardless of circumstances – but as Mark Morrison, director of industrial base and infrastructure planning at AMC headquarters, pointed out, a potential partner should take care: Early enthusiasm can sometimes obscure a deeper understanding of the work that needs to be done beforehand.

“I’ve had a lot of discussions with companies,” Morrison said, “and they come to me and say, ‘I want to partner. I want to leverage some of that government money.’ And my answer back is: ‘OK, what’s your core competency and what are you bringing to the table?’ It’s got to be a win-win for both of us. They really have to help themselves to help us by being able to think through: What’s their wheelhouse? What’s their core competency? What are they bringing to the Army?”

Some of the questions AMC recommends asking before reaching out to form a partnership include:

• Do I understand what a P3 is and how it differs from a traditional defense contract?
• What is the long-term goal that motivates me to partner with the government?
• What product or service do I provide that might be conducive to, and benefit from, partnering?
• What benefit would the government derive from a partnership with my company?
• Do I understand the legal, regulatory, and policy constraints that make partnering with the government different from partnering with a private company?
• What agreements are necessary to establish a P3?

Once those questions are answered – and a potential partner decides to pursue partnership – AMC outlines three simple steps:

• Step 1: Determine the type of partnership agreement that’s most appropriate for you: direct sale/purchase of a product or service; leasing facilities or equipment; or working collaboratively in a teaming or work-sharing environment.
• Step 2: Determine which AMC installation suits your needs. AMC offers a detailed overview of the capabilities of each of its installations in its Metal Book, available on-line. This is probably the easiest way to obtain information, but it’s not the only way: Requests for information can be emailed to AMC headquarters at usarmy.redstone.usamc.mbx.partnership@mail.mil; and written inquiries can be sent to:

HQ, Army Materiel Command, DCS G3/4 (AMCOL-IB)

4400 Martin Road

Redstone Arsenal AL 35898

According to Dwyer, this step – matching your own needs with the capabilities of a particular AMC installation – is probably the most important, enough so that he recommends calling AMC Headquarters directly if a potential partner is uncertain. “Give us a call, tell us what you want to do, and then here at the headquarters, we’ll recommend you to which sites you need to go to, or we’ll set up and facilitate the meeting.”

The P3 program manager’s direct telephone number is (256) 450-7128.

• Step 3: Contact the Business Development Office (BDO) at the installation of interest. “Companies are also authorized,” Dwyer said, “to call down to the depot commander, or arsenal commander, or the ammo plant commander and open discussions at that level too.” Contact information for each AMC installation is available online and in the Metal Book.

If the idea of doing something different – of entering into a new kind of business relationship, with a new kind of government partner – seems overwhelming or unfamiliar, Dwyer pointed out that it’s easier than ever to partner with AMC. “We want to let industry and the civilian sector know that we are truly open for business,” he said. “And there are very, very few hurdles and constraints that will make us say no. We’re willing to look at the entire continuum of partnerships – and I know there’s a way we can say yes to most questions.”

This article first appeared in the U.S. Army Materiel Command Partnership Resource Guide 2015-2016 Edition.