{"id":43710,"date":"2021-09-24T22:17:47","date_gmt":"2021-09-24T22:17:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/uncategorized\/2021\/09\/24\/us-transcom-again-delays-contract-aimed-at-fixing-problems-with-household-goods-moves\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T07:41:06","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T07:41:06","slug":"us-transcom-again-delays-contract-aimed-at-fixing-problems-with-household-goods-moves","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/management\/pay-benefits\/2021\/09\/24\/us-transcom-again-delays-contract-aimed-at-fixing-problems-with-household-goods-moves\/","title":{"rendered":"U.S. TRANSCOM again delays contract aimed at fixing problems with household goods moves"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

U.S. Transportation Command officials have again delayed the award of a new contract<\/a> aimed at improving household goods moves for military members and their families.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The contract will be awarded \u201cno earlier than\u201d late October, said Andre Kok, a spokesman for TRANSCOM.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A timeline for transition and implementation will be provided after the contract is awarded, he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The contract was originally expected to be awarded in June, then the date was pushed to September. At that point, the contract delay was expected to push the start of the new system to the fall of 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The new system will fundamentally change how TRANSCOM does business by putting the day-to-day management of household goods moves into the hands of a contractor. TRANSCOM will still oversee the management. The system is aimed at fixing military families\u2019 long-standing problems with damaged household goods, and other frustrations with movers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many troops and families have experienced delays in this summer\u2019s moving season, too, due to shortages of labor, wood and equipment<\/a>, as well as other problems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

COVID-19 exacerbated the flaws that are in the current system, said Air Force Gen. Jacqueline D. Van Ovost, in her testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee Thursday. She has been nominated to become commander of TRANSCOM, replacing Army Gen. Stephen Lyons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During COVID, TRANSCOM had to reach out and coordinate with all the moving companies \u2014 which number more than 900 \u2014 and keep them up to date on different DoD policies and force health protection measures, and to ensure there was enough capacity, she said. Having a single move manager with a multi-year contract would allow the move manager to be more confident to invest in quality suppliers and digital technology, and the contractor will be pressed for the accountability that families deserve, she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., noted that a contract \u201cis only as good as the military\u2019s willingness to exercise deep and intense oversight of the contract,\u201d referring to problems some military families have had with the condition of their housing because of lack of military oversight of some privatized housing companies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Defense Department has \u201cfaltered\u201d on the mission of providing quality moving and storage services to DoD and Coast Guard personnel and their families, Van Ovost stated in her answers to advance policy questions from the Senate Armed Services Committee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s clear that the current program is really incapable of consistently providing that quality capacity, accountability and transparency that our members and family members deserve,\u201d she told senators Thursday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf confirmed, I will ensure as I assess the contract, as we move forward in letting that contract, that all the mechanisms are in place for the single move manager to be able to effectively execute and meet the standards that our members and families deserve,\u201d said Van Ovost, whose family has moved 13 times in her career.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the current system, DoD doesn\u2019t have a formal contract with any of the more than 900 moving companies, so the department can\u2019t hold them accountable for performance failures in a meaningful way, she stated in her responses to advance questions. \u201cThis fragmented approach generates the friction, frustration and opacity many military families endure during the relocation process.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The reform efforts that have been led by TRANSCOM \u201cwill deliver credible improvements to military families,\u201d she stated.<\/p>\n\n\n\t