“You hear a lot about the term 'sustainability,'” says Los Angeles-based AECOM’s John Derymond, vice president of Afghanistan operations. He says contractors and the federal government “have to look [at the country] not with a Western or U.S. set of eyes … but you really have to come up with what’s called the Afghan solution.” Literacy rates are low in Afghanistan, and the infrastructure to support a reconstruction effort is just not there, he says. As a result, “you want to be less technical in your solution set, and more focused on what the Afghan capability is.”

AECOM currently is generating roughly $200 million in revenue annually working for multiple federal agencies, including the Dept. of State, the Army’s Engineering and Support Center, the Air Force Center for Engineering and the Environment, and the U.S. Agency for International development.

Englewood, Colo.-based CH2M Hill’s senior vice president and global operations director for government facilities and infrastructure, Robert Griffin, says that “In terms of sustainability, there is a lot yet to be done.” He says, “Incorporating sustainability is a great goal. That said, it has to be balanced with what the Afghan forces and civilian agencies can operate and maintain.” He says achieving a sustainable operation is difficult because of the temporary nature of contingency operations.

However, he adds that some improvements are likely in the works as the congressionally mandated Wartime Contracting Commission plans to issue its final report in July. That report will likely include specific recommendations to federal contracting officers as well as contractors on “how to improve project delivery on the battlefield.” Like AECOM, CH2M Hill is working on multiple contracts for several federal agencies, including the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Agency for International Development.

AECOM’s Derymond says he thinks the federal government is taking heed of the reports’ recommendations. The government is doing a good job of applying lessons learned from Iraq to Afghanistan, he says. “For example, I think you’re seeing today in Afghanistan a much better linkage between the Dept. of Defense and Dept. of State so that the “handoff” from a mostly military operation to a civilian one will be relatively seamless. That’s important … if you’re a business organization and want to do business there,” he says.