Operational Contract Support, Day 7

When we first came in, we had about an hour and a half to make some corrections to our presentations. Fortunately, this was fairly easy since -- as the first group to have submitted a product -- the instructor had plenty of input on things we should change.

After everyone's presentation, which took up all morning, we began another practical exercise on Independent Government Cost Estimates. Because this was an Excel-based spreadsheet, this one went by quickly.

The goal was to be within 30% of past groups' historical average, and at +22.7% we met this objective. We probably made a few different assumptions than those previous groups, but even so, in the real world it's a good thing to estimate high and then come in under budget.

We also had a block of instruction about the Logistics Civilian Augmentee Program, or LOGCAP. This is an external, standing contract that allows you to pick from a list of "à la carte" logistics options, including mortuary affairs and dining facility operations. During the GWOT's heyday, this was really popular because there was a lot of money going around and a force cap that constrained the number of service members the military could put on ground.