Top 10 questions about Samslist answered

Published Nov. 21, 2012
By Lt. Col. Jonathan Wright
81st Mission Support Group deputy commander

KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. -- Samslist is a new initiative to provide an electronic billboard for people at Keesler to reuse supplies. As the old saying goes, "someone's junk may be someone else's treasure." Yet in this case, the items are not necessarily "junk." Ultimately, this initiative is a way to avoid incurring new appropriated-fund expenses. Samslist was launched in July and has been populated with worthy items since then. To date, 25 items have been reused by other units, thereby saving nearly $2,000. Additionally, over 330 items are still available for reuse and a potential savings of $12,620. Base-wide participation included 18 people from 12 units so far.

Now that Samslist has built momentum, here are some frequently-asked questions:

1. Is Samslist "mandatory"? Samslist should be the first order of precedence before buying new items. The question is not, "Should we use Samslist?" but, "Why wouldn't we be using Samslist?"

2. How do things get posted on Samslist? Posting on Samslist is as easy as clicking on the "new" button and a "new item form" pops up. The key is taking 15 minutes to walk around the office and identify the items that are just sitting around, waiting for someone to say "Hey, we should post this on Samslist!"

3. Someone has contacted me about my item on Samslist. What do I need to do next? Go back into Samslist and adjust the quantity in the "locally reused" section to associate how many of these items are being re-used by someone else. This will not only automatically adjust the display for everyone else (as the original POC you won't receive unnecessary phone calls for items that have been given away), but it will also add to the savings that are scored in Keesler's favor.

4. Why do we have dollar values associated with the supplies on Samslist, and does that mean someone needs to "pay" for the item? The dollar values are associated with each item only to help provide an estimated value of savings. In other words, no one exchanges money. Or, in Air Force jargon, there isn't a need for an Air Force Form 9 or 4009. Actually, every installation has a similar website and therefore each major command will view the savings realized and potential savings from each installation. At the end of 2012, the vice chief of staff of the Air Force will receive a report across the Air Force from every installation's electronic billboard initiative.

5. Is it okay to just swap stuff without using Samslist? While one can do just that, Keesler will not get the credit for the savings. From each installation's electronic billboards, Headquarters Air Education and Training Command has an overall goal of saving $6.8 million in fiscal year 2013 and the Air Force overall goal is $57.5 million. Therefore, use Samslist to get credit for contributing to these goals.

6. If I want one of the items on Samslist, can I obtain it for personal use? No! The items posted on Samslist are government property and may only be used for official purposes.

7. Is Samslist only for people who want to "take" someone else's stuff? Samslist is useful for both givers and takers. Want to get rid of items? Post them on Samslist! Want to get new items and not spend any of the unit's budget? Find it on Samslist! Savings was also generated by posting a "wanted" announcement for everything that was required for the Air Education and Training Command Inspector General work center. This helped identify all requirements and the associated point of contact. Because of Master Sgt. Artist Pate's efforts in collecting donations, $1,500 was saved.

8. Is the stuff on Samslist mostly "junk"? Check out Samslist and see otherwise. People have posted a wide range of items including furniture, workstations, chairs, couches, office supplies such as ink cartridges, fluorescent light bulbs, and even oddities such as a television, recumbent bicycle and a ping pong table. As an added feature, Samslist offers the capability for someone to post a picture of the item. Of the 25 items that have been reused through Samslist, some of the items included dry-erase boards, bookcases, conference room chairs, and L-shaped workstations.

9. How long will Samslist keep an item on display? The default expiration time is 90 days, which is generally long enough to post an item before a unit determines that no one else wanted it. However, one can easily change the default to an earlier or later expiration date.

10. Is Samslist really being used by people? To date, 18 people from 12 different units have posted items and 25 people have already reused someone else's "treasure." In short, Samslist is up and already in use. It's worth checking out, and it's worth posting items for other people to reuse.
To visit Samslist, go to https://keesler.eis.aetc.af.mil/samslist/default.aspx