Col. Alexis Mezynski, 5th Bomb Wing commander, presents the OWN IT award to Senior Airman Jeremy Melby, 5th Contracting Squadron here, Aug. 26. Melby is the Contract Administrator for 35 Blanket Purchase Agreements valued at $47,465,000.00, which provided base-wide, critical support functions from tactical and cold-weather gear purchases, base and missile site snow removal, rudimentary construction projects, to carpet removal and installation. During Melby’s recent scrub of eight end-of-year tactical and cold-weather gear purchase requests worth $1,066,013.90, he identified an innovative way to meet federal competition mandates while making purchases over $250,000 in less than three days, effectively doubling Minot Air Force Base’s cold weather gear purchasing power. He initiated this by soliciting and creating a new tactical and cold-weather gear blanket purchase agreement with a local vendor, while simultaneously strengthening the base’s ties with the local community. His negotiation skills enabled the 5th CONS to quickly and legally facilitate its biggest one time tactical and cold-weather gear purchase for the 91st Missile Security Forces Squadron while securing $62,987.29 in pricing discounts; a six percent total cost savings to the federal government and Minot AFB. Without Melby’s attention to detail and mission dedication, Minot AFB’s Security Forces, Aircraft Maintenance and Fire Protection personnel would be ill-equipped to accomplish their missions in ensuring "safe, secure, reliable” nuclear deterrence operations in direct support of the Commander in Chief and Combatant Commanders. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Kristoffer Kaubisch)