Hiring should begin when contract finalized in ‘19

DynCorp International’s (DI) lease agreement with the South Alabama Regional Airport began on November 16, and the company has already starting to bring in equipment, SARA Executive Director Jed Blackwell said Monday.

DynCorp confirmed in November that it planned to put people to work in Andalusia in the Standard Aero/Vector facility at SARA. DynCorp International said in a press release it has been awarded a $152 million contract from the Naval Air Systems Command to provide logistics support services and material for the maintenance of TH-57 aircraft. The contract has a two-year base period and two option years.

The company began moving equipment into the hangar facility on Nov. 1, but Standard Aero/Vector’s equipment was still occupying the facility, Blackwell said.

“Standard Aero/Vector had not vacated the facility once DynCorp started moving their equipment in,” Blackwell said. “So Rick Clifton and I worked with them on getting a 15-day extension for Standard Aero/Vector to stay in the facility. All of that worked out and DynCorp has been moving in all of their equipment.”

DI will provide organizational (O-level), intermediate (I-level), and depot level (D-level) maintenance for the U.S. Navy TH-57 helicopters. The O- and I- level maintenance work will be performed at Naval Air Station Whiting Field in Florida, and D-level maintenance work will be performed at DI’s Andalusia facility.

Currently, there is a protest on the $152 million government contract, but Blackwell said that they believe this will be dealt with quickly and they will have their wrenches turning soon.

“Our contract agreement said that they will start in 2019,” Blackwell said. “So we are hoping that they will start getting things rolling in mid- January.”

Covington County Economic Development Commission Director Rick Clifton said that there should be a government ruling on the protest soon.

“The protest is still taking place,” Clifton said. “But DynCorp is known to get things cranking pretty quickly, so as soon as the government rules on the protest they should be here fast. We don’t think we will have problems with the protest.”

Blackwell said that DI has already paid their December and January rent in advance.

“They already paid their full November rent,” Blackwell said. “And they have paid their December rent in advance and we already have their check for January.”

DI agreed to pay $25,000 per month that they are working in the facility.

Blackwell said that they are hoping to bring in 65 to 80 jobs with DynCorp’s moving to Andalusia, and they have already contacted several former Standard Aero/Vector employees.

“They contacted those former employees to see if they would like to work with them and stay in Andalusia, but we don’t know how that went,” Blackwell said. “But they told me when they were interested that they would bring about 65 to 80 jobs to Covington County.”