America's Best Deserve America's Best
Movers for America is a coalition of companies, moving professionals, and independent owner-operators dedicated to supporting our active-duty military families as they relocate across the country and around the world. We support a viable, competitive industry and an outstanding moving experience for all families.
A Tender-based Environment – A FAR-based contract that applies the Service Contract Act is in direct conflict with the way the moving and storage industry fundamentally operates. A tender-based program allows for critical flexibility needed by industry.
Opportunity and Flexibility for Technological Innovation – Future program models should incorporate the flexibility needed to adopt and integrate emerging technologies such as customer-facing apps and real-time shipment tracking to enhance the moving experience and operational efficiency. Many companies already possess these platforms and could integrate them immediately if allowed by the government.
Shipment Distribution Rooted in Awarding Shipments to Highest Performers – Shipments should be awarded to licensed, legally compliant moving companies based on consistently high customer satisfaction ratings, reinforcing a system that rewards demonstrated performance. Metrics for shipment distribution should be transparent and shared with industry and customers.
Program Based on Data-Driven Metrics – Strengthen its data collection and analytics capabilities to inform shipment distribution and accurate industry shipment pricing, ensuring that decisions are grounded in real-time measurable performance outcomes and operational metrics.
Program Transparency – The DOD should continue to implement measures to ensure complete transparency on customer satisfaction, TSP ratings, on-time performance, and more for all entities that participate in the movement of household goods.
This year and every year, 300,000 dedicated military families will move across the country and around the world. These moves strain their resources, their emotions, and their time. They deserve a seamless, secure, and hassle-free experience. In a move reminiscent of the disastrous privatization of military housing, the Department of Defense is outsourcing military household moves to a single inexperienced private entity through the new Global Household Contract (GHC) – which will leave our military families woefully underserved.
The Defense Department’s Transportation Command (TRANSCOM) coordinates the domestic and international movements of our troops, including their personal household items. Under a troubled new contract that has suffered multiple delays from poor planning and faulty technology, TRANSCOM has tasked a private entity – one that’s never handled a military move – with coordinating all PCS (permanent change of station) moves.
The new business model and fee structure are so unrealistic that many respected and road-tested professional moving companies with experience in military relocations they're unable to sign on for a variety of reasons not limited to complicated new regulatory requirements, compensation, unrealistic liability burdens, inability to allow for much needed flexibility for their business models.
After awarding the contract to the least experienced bidder rather than to the best providers, it’s clear that over the past two years of a failed transition, the structure of the GHC is not a viable path forward for industry or Servicemembers.
Our active-duty military and their families sacrifice so much for our country – they shouldn’t have to sacrifice an efficient, quality system for moving their personal belongings when relocating to a new mission posting. A closer analysis of the potential impacts on military families, moving professionals, and American competitiveness is urgently needed.
TRANSCOM points to low satisfaction rates as the need for a new system. But data tell a different story.
| WHAT TRANSCOM IS SAYING | WHAT MILITARY FAMILIES ARE SAYING (independent scientific survey of nearly 950 military families) |
WHAT TRANSCOM'S OWN PUBLIC DASHBOARD IS SAYING |
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TRANSCOM’s new contract is NOT REASONABLE for trusted and road-tested professional moving companies – that’s why so many have refused to sign on.
TRANSCOM’s proposed transition to a privatized system for PCS moves is the epitome of government waste – throwing good money after bad with no benefit to our service men and women or to the taxpayers. While our military families feel the pinch directly, the new system will also hurt American businesses, provide inadequate resources, and increase our vulnerability to national security risks.
Future of Military Moving
Email Updates |
Next week, the PCS Joint Task Force will deliver its first set of recommendations to the Secretary of Defense —…
UPDATES from PCS Task Force Meeting
News |
Last week, the PCS Task Force held its long-awaited Industry Day — and Movers for America was there. Executive Director…
Column: Outsourcing Military Moves Was A Disaster. Let’s Get It Right
News |
For years, military families and the moving professionals who proudly serve them have sounded the alarm on the Global Household Goods Contract (GHC).
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