New tool streamlines support agreement program

  • Published
  • By Shannon Carabajal
  • AFIMSC Public Affairs

JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas – A new tool developed by the AFIMSC Installation Support Directorate consolidates everything base-level support agreement managers need to do their jobs into one tool. 

Air Force bases and communities rely on support agreements to provide, receive or share installation support services. The agreements benefit everyone, often delivering critical services not available anywhere else, according to Donna Johnson, AFIMSC support agreement manager. 

The Support Agreements Management Tool, or SAM-T, gives base-level support agreement managers the ability to track, store and manage all support agreements, memorandum of agreements and memorandums of understanding in one place.

“It was developed to standardize the program, making it more effective and efficient,” Johnson said. 

Before the tool, base SAMs managed support agreements manually, from building new agreements from scratch and reviewing existing agreements to providing regular status updates to AFIMSC via a spreadsheet. 

With more than 22 years of experience as a base-level support agreement manager herself, Johnson knew the challenges of juggling multiple sets of information. Starting in the spring of 2016, she set out to automate the program and better serve her customers at more than 80 wings across the Air Force. 

“I knew what I envisioned the program to do so I worked with the contractor who developed and created SAM-T,” she said. 

Launched to the field last fall, Johnson expects the tool will save SAMs significant man-hours from cradle to grave in generating a support agreement.  

“Instead of manually filling out various reports, the overview is right there at a glance, including the total number manpower supported through support agreements, reimbursable amounts and total agreements enterprise wide,” she said. 

SAM-T also includes a single view of all the base’s current agreements so managers can easily track those approaching annual/triennial review or expiration.

Kelly Duncan, 31st Space Wing support agreement manager at Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado, was one of the first to begin using the tool. 

“Once I began using the program, I was able to see the benefits and Air Force wide potential,” she said.

The tool also provides a checklist of documents managers need to prepare a new agreement and ensure compliance with regulations. The standardized process is making things easier, especially for new managers, Duncan said.

AFIMSC is already planning future updates for the tool that will offer more features and functionality while incorporating initial feedback from the field. 

For more information about SAM-T, contact Johnson at 210-395-8224.