Depot maintenance offers great potential for savings. Most of the work is currently being done in-house by the Military Services. However, competition between public and private organizations would very likely boost performance and save money.

One recent example of successful public-private competition in depot maintenance occurred at the Sacramento Air Logistics Center.

Another success story occurred in September of 1998, when the Air Force awarded depot maintenance work to Ogden Air Logistics Center, Hill Air Force Base, Utah, with Boeing Aerospace Support Center in Texas as a major subcontractor. The competition combined the workload requirements for maintenance on specific aircraft and aeronautical products.

The savings – about $638 million over nine years – are now available for much needed modernization and readiness improvements.