CASE STUDY
Challenges
An Air Force base in the Southeast was interested in upgrading their wing stands, which are used to repair and rebuild various aircrafts. In its current state, the wing stands are manually operated and require six operators. The original design and cost was more than $5 million. Due to costs, lack of design, and understanding of how to secure sole source funding, this project had been on hold for almost 5 years.
Solutions
To get a better scope of the project and to be viewed as a trusted advisor, members of our Solutions Team met with the engineering firm hired by the Air Force base to get better insights into the overall goals and expected outcome. After our meeting, one of the first things we recommended was a Front-End Engineering Design (FEED) study to review present design and make some recommendations on that topic. To address the sole source funding obstacle, our team met with the Small Business Association who recommended that we work with an 8A minority contractor who was added to the project as the general contractor, which opened the door for funding. We orchestrated bringing in another firm to manage the design and integration and another company to handle the electrical installation. Wesco would then supply all the material.
Results
- Phase one contract for six wing stands started in July 2022 after a five-year delay
- Phase two for four additional wing stands to be delivered over the next 36 months
- Operation of wing stands will require two operators versus six, saving personnel and expense
- The project was delivered under the original cost estimate
The wing stand project has led to other opportunities with the government the first of which won an additional project that starts in the first quarter of 2023. The new project is an EV charging station which covers a number of government facilities throughout the Southeast.
Wesco Has Solutions for Federal Government Agencies
Wesco’s team dedicated to federal customers has extensive experience in implementing technology solutions designed specifically for customers such as the Department of Defense, civilian agencies, prime contractors, and minority and disadvantaged small businesses.