Blue Grass plant property managers are transferring equipment that is no longer needed on the project to other government agencies. Determining the distribution of major pieces of equipment and construction material that can be transferred to other federal or state agencies or sold at public auction is the focus, with proceeds returning to the prime contract. This effort has already saved the government a significant amount of money and more items are earmarked for reuse.

“We just transferred more than 4,000 concrete forms with an original value of $1.15 million to the Louisiana Federal Property Assistance Agency,” said Lee Lucas, project asset manager. “The government is keen on getting excess property out for reutilization instead of just disposing of it.”

Lucas oversees the project’s asset management department, which works to reduce waste and reduce or recycle project property that could be beneficial to others. The project determined early on to create a full-service division that can identify excess property and manage it through its final end cycle, reutilization.

The Blue Grass project has several other large pieces of excess equipment and construction aid materials that will go through the same process. As a Department of Defense (DOD) project, excess material is first offered to DOD programs, then to other federal government agencies, then to local governments for use in such places as schools. Materials not transferred to those agencies will be auctioned publicly and any profits will be returned to the Blue Grass contract.

“Good used equipment can be obtained through this process that agencies would otherwise have to purchase,” said Sharon Valle, government property administrator. “The other government agencies, state and local agencies, schools and even volunteer fire departments can all benefit from the reutilization process.”

The Program Executive Office, Assembled Chemical Weapons Alternatives (PEO ACWA) is the DOD agency responsible for managing the destruction of the Blue Grass chemical weapons stockpile. PEO ACWA’s core values include cost effectiveness and prudent stewardship.

“We work hard to be good stewards of government money and assets,” said Lucas.

Lucas, a certified professional property manager with the National Property Management Association and 15 years on other Bechtel National projects, has a cradle-to-grave approach to handling Blue Grass property.

“We strive to find the best products for our needs at the best price, and then track them throughout the usage process,” he said. “We will find new uses for them with other agencies at the end of their Blue Grass life cycle.”