NAVFAC Mid-Atlantic, EXWC Employees Earn Federal Energy Management Program Award For Contracting Excellence

NORFOLK, VA – The acting director of the Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP), Rob Sandoli, recently announced the selection of Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command (NAVFAC) Mid-Atlantic and NAVFAC Expeditionary Warfare Center (EXWC) employees for a 2021 Federal Energy and Water Management (FEWM) Award in the Contracting Category.

The FEMP sets out to distinguish federal employees who developed and implemented exemplary, cost-effective projects and programs that cut energy waste and advance America’s progress toward energy independence, resilience and security, while also advancing federal agency missions. The annual FEWM Awards recognize individuals, groups and agencies for their outstanding contributions in the areas of energy and water efficiency, resilience, and technology achievements; distributed energy; cyber security; and fleet management at federal facilities.

“On behalf of the U.S. Department of Energy, I would like to congratulate your team on being selected to receive a 2021 Federal Energy and Water Management Award,” Sandoli said. “The award in the Contracting Category recognizes your team’s outstanding contributions related to energy and water cost savings, optimized energy and water use, and/or the use of advanced and distributed energy technologies at federal facilities in FY 2020.”

Team recipients of the 2021 award include: Production Division Director Russell Gagner and Installation Energy Manager Jackie Hanscome at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard (PNSY); Electrical Engineer Janice Fishburn at Naval Station Norfolk; and Contract Specialist Dyanne Van Der Kamp and Energy Projects Team Lead Daniel Magro at NAVFAC EXWC.

The recipients were recognized for NAVFAC’s energy savings performance contract (ESPC) that will allow PNSY – which maintains, overhauls, and modernizes current and anticipated fleet submarines – to meet its expected steam and electric load for the next 10 years. The contract was awarded in November of 2019. The ESPC will build a new 7.4 megawatt cogeneration plant alongside the installation’s existing cogeneration plant, provide continued operations and maintenance, repair, and replacement (OMRR) for both plants for an additional 24 years, and install a microgrid capable of supporting this critical system. The project will ensure that the installation can meet all mission-related requirements and will enhance the protection of the Navy's nuclear platforms.

“All of ESPC projects developed and awarded are a true team effort … it takes the expertise of many to develop and become a successful union between the U.S. government and the energy service company (third party),” said Hanscome, noting the benefit of using ESPCs allows military installations to take advantage of third party financing to procure energy savings and facility improvements, with no upfront costs. “Improvements to these systems work towards the desired end state that allow our systems to be equipped and able to mitigate, adapt to, respond to and recover from anticipated and unanticipated disruptions that impact mission-essential nuclear fleet operations at the shipyard.”

NAVFAC incorporated new methodologies for improved measurement and verification procedures into the ESPC that enable resilience and reliability for PNSY. These procedures allow the Navy to not only measure performance based on equipment efficiency and availability, but also on specific performance parameters, such as response times.

“This group of individuals truly exemplified what it means to be a team,” said Arnold Agustin, supervisory Energy Manager, NAVFAC Mid-Atlantic. “Despite being separated organizationally within NAVFAC, as well as geographically, they came together and brought their own expertise. The result was a project that will have lasting benefits for the installation for many years to come.”

The award recipients will be honored in March of 2022 at a virtual ceremony and celebration.

NAVFAC Mid-Atlantic provides facilities engineering, public works, and environmental products and services across an area of responsibility that spans from South Carolina to Maine, and as far west as Indiana. As an integral member of the Commander, Navy Region Mid-Atlantic team, NAVFAC Mid-Atlantic provides leadership through the Regional Engineer organization to ensure the region's facilities and infrastructure are managed efficiently and effectively.

Visit NAVFAC Mid-Atlantic online at www.navfac.navy.mil/navfac_worldwide/atlantic/fecs/mid-atlantic.html. Also “like, follow,” and share and visit the official NAVFAC Mid-Atlantic Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/navfacmidatlantic.

To read about all of the 2021 Federal Energy and Water Management Award winners, visit https://www.energy.gov/eere/femp/2021-federal-energy-and-water-management-award-winners.