Partnerships offer best of both worlds Published Jan. 15, 2016 By Jenny Gordon Robins Public Affairs ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. -- When it comes to providing and maintaining business partnerships between government and industry, these relationships can prove beneficial for all parties involved. Take for example the successful partnership that exists between the government and Boeing. It is the Air Force's largest partnership workload that has been going strong for many years with the C-17 program. It is one of 45 partnerships at Robins maintained by the Warner Robins Air Logistics Complex Business Development and Partnership Office. "The first thing I like to point out to people is that Robins can offer the ability to not have to invest in a capital investment," said Dave Denning, with the partnering office. For example, with a million square feet of industrial space capabilities across the 402nd Commodities Maintenance Group, over 30 buildings and over 1,000 skilled craftsmen, companies looking to partner with Robins won't have to invest in things such as manpower, equipment, floor space or training, according to Denning. Those things already exist here. The office's 46 personnel has several sections, including depot activation, which serves as a point of contact and liaison for activating new workload at the base; and Strategic Planning and Transformation, which supports the complex with transformation and continuous process improvement initiatives. While there are several types of partnerships, two of the most common at Robins are work share and direct sales. The C-17 partnership is an example of direct sales, of which is the majority at Robins. In fiscal 2015, a total of $200 million worth of work was enjoyed at Robins as a result of these business partnerships. The C-17 program is valued at an estimated $155 million. And while there are many smaller partnerships with workloads valued from several hundred thousand to over a million dollars, a recent successful partnership included WR-ALC and L-3 Communications. That workload will focus on remotely piloted aircraft systems, examples that include the Air Force's MQ-1 Predator and MQ-9 Reaper, with work on the aircraft's interim modem assemblies by the 402nd Electronics Maintenance Group. Validation and standup of that workload occurred during the summer of 2015, with a ribbon cutting held to formally acknowledge the partnership later that fall. The E-8C Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System and Northrop Grumman have a work share partnership at Robins, with mission support and some software maintenance as part of that workload. Continuing to seek and discuss prospective partnerships here was the focus of a Robins Air Force Base Partnership Summit last fall. Denning said that his office can receive as many as 30 calls a year from representatives who express an interest in a partnership with the base. "There is no 'buy-in' to a partnership," he said. "We sign the paperwork ... and there's no additional cost other than what we charge to do the work."