Base preparing for Unit Compliance Inspection

  • Published
  • By Christine Andrews
  • Inspector General's Office
EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  Unit Compliance Inspections occur every four years, and allow local commanders and Air Force Materiel Command Headquarters to see how well AFMC units accomplish their mission at the center level down to each individual squadron and two-letter organization. It also highlights best practices that can be shared throughout AFMC. 

While there can be a negative perception about the intent of a UCI, we hope base personnel will understand the UCI is a good thing. A UCI is a time to showcase to higher headquarters how well we operate and also a time to figure out what we need to improve to take our mission to a higher level. 

The 2009 UCI will be limited or no-notice. The IG will send a team consisting of inspectors from almost every functional discipline that exists. The inspectors will sit down and interview a representative of each functional discipline who knows and understands the inner work¬ing of that function. Each headquarters functional area such as contracting, financial management, test policy, communications, safety, personnel, etc., has developed checklists derived from Department of Defense and Air Force regulations and instructions and from any other applicable regulations and laws. 

The IG uses these checklists during the course of the inspection. The findings from the last UCI are serving as the starting point for this inspection. Eglin's annual self-inspection has concluded and findings are being tracked and loaded in the 96 ABW/IG CoP. 

During the unit self-inspections, offices used relevant checklists to ensure they followed the proper procedures. AACI 90-202, Para 6.2.5, gives self inspection managers the authority to coordinate and conduct cross-organizational spot-checks of individual processes and programs. Although this is still an internal inspection, it is from outside the unit's perspective. The inspections are key to scoring well during the actual UCI. The self and cross- inspections allow us to ensure our house is clean and in order before we host our guests from AFMC. 

We already know what the inspection team will be asking for based on the AFMC checklists which are available at the AFMC/IG Community of Practice Web site. By knowing what they are going to be looking at, we can make sure we are in compliance. While this is an Air Force inspection of Air Force offices, contractor personnel may be tapped to provide input to the inspectors. Everyone assigned to Eglin is ultimately responsible for ensuring the mission is accomplished and complying with local and higher Headquarters' instructions.