52nd CONS prepares for end of year closeout Published July 17, 2013 By Vera Bozzi 52nd Contracting Squadron SPANGDAHLEM AIR BASE, Germany -- The end of the year is near...many of us consider the last day in December to be a chance to reflect and start anew. Those involved in contracting and financial operations; however, follow a different yearly calendar - working hard down to the final hours of Sept. 30, awaiting daybreak of Oct. 1, the start of the new fiscal year." Every September, the 52nd Contracting Squadron team handles a great deal of the workload approaching the end of the fiscal year. In fact, most of the materials, equipment and services used in and around base to keep our mission going were purchased by the men and women of CONS. Members of the contracting squadron team up with finance professionals at the 52nd Comptroller Squadron and resource advisors across the base to make any purchases before fiscal year 2013 comes to an end. Once Sept. 30 is over, the money set aside by Congress to be spent on operations and maintenance costs for the fiscal year will be returned to the U.S. Treasury. Rest assured, dollars shall be spent in the best interest of U.S. taxpayers and the 52nd Fighter Wing's mission. While the CONS team is quite small, each individual is also extremely vital. The squadron is made up of a very diverse group of highly educated and trained officers and enlisted, U.S. civilians and local nationals who are all part of the '52nd Mission Support Group. The teamwork of these business professionals, negotiation experts, and cost and price analysts truly illustrate CONS' motto, "You got it, we bought it." "Our contracting office is a team of different cultures for good reason; for instance our local nationals employees bridge the gap between U.S. Forces' needs and the local market," said Helmut Disch, 52nd CONS contracting officer. "The partnership in cultures ensures the base gets what they need on time, with high quality and at an acceptable price." With the recent challenges of budget uncertainty and reduced federal spending due to sequestration; this end of fiscal year will be quite different than previous years. "Due to lack of money, we are urging customers to seek more creative and money-saving avenues for their needs, looking into surpluses and usable equipment, such as the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) Disposition Services website for reutilization property options. Exploring such options can save the government time and money," said Andrea Josey, 52nd CONS lead for end of fiscal year operations. "As the fiscal year deadline approaches, there are a lot of unknowns; we do not know clearly how sequestration affects the spread of remaining funds which affects priority lists for end of year purchases," Disch added. "Nonetheless, we have been proactive with planning and even more scrutiny to ensure requirements packages are prepared and ready for purchase when and if funds become available." Although this fiscal year may seem different than previous years, 52nd CONS personnel remain busy spending U.S. taxpayers' money wisely; often behind the scenes accomplishing end of the fiscal year purchases -- which is vital to successful operations year round at Spangdahlem.