Outsourcing Pest Management on Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling

The researchers of this report argue the cost to outsource government functions may be significantly greater, possibly five times greater, than completing the requirement in-house with federal employees. In accordance with congressional legislation, on October 1, 2010, Bolling Air Force Base and Naval Support Facility Anacostia merged to form Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling JBAB. The installation occupies over 900 acres and requires an extensive pesticide treatment plan. Currently, the level of service for pesticide treatment is different on Bolling than it is on Anacostia. Bolling is staffed with three full-time civil service entomologists who provide treatment for the 136 buildings and 359 acres of land area Bolling occupies. Anacostia has 74 buildings and 607 acres of land area, of which only two buildings are fully treated, under an existing regional contract. The researchers goal in producing this report is to help the decision-maker choose the best course of action retain work in-house versus outsource among the following alternatives to meet the expanded pest treatment requirement on JBAB. The following is a list of possible actions explored in the report Absorb the larger requirement into current in-house capacity Outsource the entire pest management and herbicide requirement to a private contractor for all of JBAB Utilize contract services to meet the additional requirement utilizing a hybrid-type contract of both in-house and contractor provided service or Hire additional in-house personnel. The final product the researchers produce is a Cost-Benefit Analysis to estimate the cost of each alternative. Qualitative factors are identified and built into the CBA to form a more robust conclusion.