Fleet Logistics Center San Diego, Monterey Site Manager, Tom Tuttle, saves the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) thousands of dollars.
When Tuttle started working on campus in May 2010, he brought with him a lifetime of experience in supply management and logistics. A retired Lt. Col. in the Air Force, and now with a civilian career, Tuttle has decades of knowledge working with both the private sector and government supply systems.
As part of its mission to conduct vanguard research essential to today’s war fighter, NPS ships thousands of pounds of equipment to various locations around the world and nearly all of these shipments are sent through civilian transportation companies.
The unique nature of the research here presents the challenge of transporting heavy loads filled with expensive and delicate components that need to reach locations not often along the standard shipping routes.
A significant aspect of this challenge is the scarcity of appropriate transportation vehicles. This often results in a limited pool of options, and therefore a significant price tag, which in these economic times could leave researchers with even more limited resources.
“That kind of equipment is harder to come by,” said Tuttle. “The folks that are doing this have specific needs and they want to be sure that all the right trucks that are needed are there at the same time and ready to go.”
Tuttle’s answer to this challenge was to promote the use of the Government Freight Management (GFM) transportation and shipping programs. He noticed that research programs at NPS often had unique requirements that frequently made it difficult to find suitable and cost effective shipping methods. GFM allows Tuttle to compare multiple transportation service providers that meet those requirements. And using the competitive bidding system reflected in GFM, and applying a little ingenuity, he has been able to both secure the right equipment and save thousands of dollars for these programs.
For Tuttle, who started working early on helping his neighbors at the age of 12, graduating second in his high school class, being accepted to Cornell University and working his way through college, hard work and budgeting have been constants in his life. Joining the Air Force, working for the government and gaining experience and continued exposure to financial management, Tuttle found a passion for his efforts.
“It’s about saving money,” he said. “Ultimately, this is all tax money. Whether it’s an operational research grant or a defense contract, it all stems from the federal government. I see my job as contracting for the right transportation equipment, at the right time, and at the lowest possible cost.”