You got it, they bought it; 39th CONS

For children, receiving a new toy for Christmas can bring a smile to their face, but as adults these new toys come in the form of new equipment. With new equipment comes increased productivity, work quality and reduced physical labor, creating the same ear-to-ear grin.

So where do these “new toys” come from?

The 39th Contracting Squadron members are in charge of the research and purchase of services, supplies, and construction projects for the installation.

“There’s a phrase that we say, ‘you got it, we bought it,’” said U.S. Air Force Capt. Thomas Redfield, 39th CONS director of business operations. “You look around your office, everything that you see was likely touched by contracting in some shape or form.”

The 39th CONS has five main sections.

The Plans and Programs Flight is responsible for managing government purchase cards and systems administration. The Services and Commodities Flight is in charge of purchasing anything from information technology equipment to furniture.

Additionally, the Base Infrastructure Flight oversees facility upgrades and repairs, while the Contingency Flight manages all contracted services, supplies and construction needs in support of current operations. Finally, the Performance Management Flight centrally manages the Turkey Spain Base Maintenance Contract, which is the largest service contract in USAFE-AFAFRICA and includes nearly 1,000 contractor support personnel at Incirlik AB and its geographically separated units.

The 39th CONS works with its customers to better refine their list of items and match those needs to potential vendors.

If several vendors submit bids, the contracting office reviews the offers to ensure the customer’s request is met at the best price.

During the end of the fiscal year, the 39th CONS sees a huge increase in workload due to units trying to utilize their remaining funds and avoid the risk lowering their budget for the next year.

“There are lots of opportunities for squadrons to have more money during this particular time of year, so we see a lot more requirements coming through,” said Redfield. “It’s a lot faster pace the last six to eight weeks of the fiscal year.”

Due to the end of year influx, contracting members often work longer hours to make sure as many work orders are completed, working until midnight on Sept. 30.

While looking around base, keep in mind that the 39th CONS is involved with virtually everything that happens, without them, Incirlik would not be able to maintain the mission, advance Airmen or restore readiness.