Source: United States Army
CHIÈVRES AIR BASE, Belgium — U.S. Army Garrison Benelux (USAG Benelux) is using a data-driven approach to validate and better meet the needs of its community by applying a new innovation-centric approach to its supplier and procurement process. The new approach allows for emerging technology and innovations to be at the center of each contract.
The garrison has already achieved better alignment of resources to community needs and improved staff feedback, while forecasting a projected long-term cost reduction by up to $39 million over the next eight years.
Officials said the effort, led by the Directorate of Emergency Services, was not centered on cutting services, but on understanding how services were used across the garrison’s sites and ensuring resources were focused where they delivered the greatest value. The efforts, driven by Scott Moore, acting director of emergency services and his team, have become a model for others to follow.
“We get into a bad habit with contracts where we repeat what was there before,” Moore said. “Instead of asking what we are actually trying to achieve, we tend to continue what has always been done. What we did differently was step back, look at the requirement first, and then determine the most efficient way to meet it.”
Moore said the review examined service contracts across multiple functions, including security, alarms, emergency response support and other recurring services. His team analyzed usage patterns, operational requirements and feedback from organizations that rely on those services every day.
“We went position by position, line by line, hour by hour,” Moore said. “We looked at what the regulations require, what the mission needs and what the data shows about how services are actually used.”
He said direct engagement with stakeholders was a key part of the process. Schools, Child and Youth Services, logistics partners and other organizations were consulted to ensure any changes reflected real operational demand.
“We made sure we weren’t missing anything,” Moore said. “We spoke to the organizations that rely on these services to understand when they actually need support, when they need access and what would create a problem for them.”
Moore said that approach allowed the garrison to distinguish between services that were mission-essential and those that had continued largely out of habit or convenience, despite being underused or no longer aligned with actual community demand.
Moore elaborated that some adjustments involved changing schedules, consolidating coverage or redirecting resources to higher-demand periods rather than eliminating capability.
“The goal is not to remove service,” he said. “The goal is to make sure what we provide is aligned with the requirement and delivers value.”
The review also considered workforce impacts. Moore said some internal changes improved quality of life for employees while maintaining performance standards.
“We looked at how our on-call systems were structured and whether they matched actual demand,” he said. “After making changes, there was no measurable difference in service delivery, but people had more predictable time off and were not tied to a phone when they did not need to be.”
Moore said employees responded positively to the changes, even though some overtime opportunities were reduced.
“What we found was that people appreciated having more personal time and more predictable schedules,” he said. “They knew when they were responsible, and when they were off, they could truly be off.”
The effort could reduce projected costs by up to $39 million over the life of upcoming contracts. Moore said the figure reflects avoided future cost growth rather than an immediate reduction in capability.
“If you maintain the status quo, costs continue to increase year after year,” he said. “What we have done is reset the baseline based on actual requirements. The difference over time is where the savings come from.”
Moore said the review also highlighted opportunities to modernize how contracts are written so services can adapt over time and suppliers can bring forward more efficient solutions as technology changes.
“We know technology will change over the life of a contract,” he said. “Rather than locking ourselves into specific tools, we built flexibility into the contract so we can adopt new capabilities as they become available and make sense operationally.”
He said that model allows contractors to identify new ways to deliver services more effectively, whether through automation, improved scheduling systems, remote monitoring tools or other emerging technologies.
“You should not have to rewrite an entire contract every time a better tool becomes available,” Moore said. “If a provider has a more efficient way to meet the requirement, we want the flexibility to evaluate it and use it.”
Moore said examples could include automated systems, smarter surveillance tools, advanced sensors, improved communications platforms or other technologies that increase effectiveness while reducing labor-intensive tasks.
The approach helps preserve service quality while reducing administrative delays tied to repeated contract amendments.
“Contract amendments require coordination across multiple organizations,” Moore said. “If you account for flexibility up front, you avoid a significant amount of time and effort later.”
Moore described the broader objective as responsible stewardship of resources while continuing to meet the needs of the Benelux military community.
“This approach is not limited to one contract or one function,” he said. “It is about understanding the requirement, taking care of the community and making sure resources are used in the smartest way possible.”
Host nation cooperation has also been a contributing factor to the initiative’s success.
“We have an excellent rapport with our host nation stakeholders, and those relationships have allowed us to have honest, practical discussions about legacy rules, approval processes and technical requirements that were often written 20 or 30 years ago for a very different environment,” Moore said. “In many cases, those standards were created when hard-wired copper systems were the norm, satellite connectivity was limited, and many of the secure wireless, encrypted and automated capabilities available today did not exist. Rather than simply accepting ‘that is how it has always been done,’ we have worked with our partners to understand the original purpose of those requirements and determine whether modern technology can now meet that same intent more effectively. Together, we are helping reshape approaches, so they remain secure, practical and relevant to today’s threats, operational needs and shared community interests.”
Moore reports that the broader effort reflects a commitment to modern stewardship, operational readiness and continued support to the Benelux community.
“By combining data-driven decision making, revisiting rationale in existing governance, strong partnerships and a willingness to challenge outdated assumptions, USAG Benelux is positioning its services to take advantage of future innovations such as automated cleaning systems, robotic patrol capabilities for key security points, smarter sensors, remote monitoring tools and other technologies that can improve service delivery, strengthen security and allow personnel to focus their time where it adds the greatest value,” Moore reflected.