Private firm wins competition for DLA depot jobs

Operations and management of a Defense depot in Georgia will be contracted out to EG&G Logistics, of Manassas, Va., the Defense Logistics Agency has announced.

The final decision, announced last week, was made after appeals filed by the American Federation of Government Employees and a depot employee were denied. DLA had tentatively awarded the depot work to EG&G in February.

The final decision will result in about 450 job cuts at DLA's facility in Warner-Robins, Ga. Among those people, 100 have already found new jobs and another 100 are likely to do so, leaving 250 people who will be adversely affected by the decision, DLA said.

The depot's commander, Col. Joe Carter, said the decision made by the DLA appeal authority was "extremely disappointing."

"I felt reasonably confident the tentative decision awarding EG&G the contract to perform distribution operations would be reversed," he said.

The decision is the latest in a series of public-private competitions involving DLA depots. In November 1999, employees at the DLA distribution depot in Columbus, Ohio won their public-private competition, so operations and management of that depot will remain in-house. Last month, EG&G won a competition to run a DLA depot in Barstow, Calif. AFGE has filed a lawsuit protesting that decision.

The three facilities are the first of 16 DLA distribution depots to undergo public-private competitions. The remaining 13 competitions are being conducted in phases through 2003. Last year, competitions began at six more depots: Hill Air Force Base, Utah (664 employees); Richmond, Va. (532 employees); San Diego, Calif. (411 employees); Albany, Ga. (165 employees); Jacksonville, Fla. (152 employees); and Cherry Point, N.C. (131 employees).

The Warner-Robins transition is expected to be completed within six months. Affected employees will be offered buyouts of up to $25,000 and will have the right of first refusal for all non-management jobs created by the contract.