Twitter
Facebook
Budget. Every fiscal year this not so frightening word can have some units very nervous. Some units worry they won’t have enough funds to last the year. Others might start thinking of things they can make it through the year without, but units don’t necessarily have to look for things they can’t live without.
The Air Force has a solution: the Productivity Enhancing Capital Investment program.
“The most recent example of a unit utilizing the PECI program is the 37th Airlift Squadron,” said Master Sgt. Tim Jensen, 786th Force Support Squadron manpower analyst.
Jensen said he noticed that the funding for all navigator positions, which does navigation through a computer system, would stop at the end of this fiscal year. He coordinated with Capt. Mark Domogala, 37th AS resource adviser, and started the process of eliminating those positions early, resulting in more than $1 million in savings for the Air Force.
The navigator positions went away due to the new C-130J Super Hercules aircraft that arrived on Ramstein. Jensen and the 37th AS took the funds from the already vanishing position and redirected them toward enhancing their mission capabilities.
“This program provides units with a resource for purchasing productivity-enhancing equipment, which results in savings that exceed the investment cost,” Jensen said.
To be eligible for the program, investments must fall within two categories: Fast Payback Capital Investment, for investments less than $250,000, and Productivity Investment Funds, for investments exceeding $250,000.
Each year, the Air Force PECI program invests an average of $10 to $11 million that nets an average life cycle savings of approximately $112 million. These investments fund a wide variety of productivity improvements, such as technology upgrades that increase administrative speed and major equipment purchases that increase base capabilities.
“We submitted three projects for approval ranging from computers to new radios used by our pilots and our guys on the ground,” Domogala said. “We just purchased scales to carry on our aircraft. These scales will help us downrange to accurately weigh heavy equipment loaded onto the aircraft.”
The three projects enhanced mission capability with $638,723 toward equipment purchases with a life-cycle savings of $1,266,852.
“This money was crucial to increasing safety and efficiency,” Domogala said. “It allows us to plan for now and the future with products that will last.”
Jensen said that opportunities, like the one the 37th AS capitalized on, are everywhere.
“Most positions that are scheduled to be cut can be used for the PECI program,” he said. “Units should become familiar with their unit manning document and contact the manpower office to see where they can save money and benefit from the program.”
Any organization can benefit from the PECI program if they have a project that meets the eligibility requirements.
Approved PECI projects may also be eligible for cash awards under the IDEA program.
For more information on the PECI Program, contact your Wing Manpower Office unit representative at 480-4032 or 06371-47-4032.
