PS Magazine - TB 43-PS-700
PS, The Preventative Maintenance Monthly
ISSUE 700
MARCH 2011
59
PS 700
MAR 11
Dear Half-Mast,
I’m trying to find
the financial man-
hour wage rates
to load into the
SAMS-E boxes for
our units. Nobody
has any idea
where to find this
information. Can
you help?
Mr. J.M.
Dear Mr. J.M.,
As you’ve discovered, SAMS-E doesn’t control or
dictate any labor rates you input. SAMS-E isn’t supposed
to be a fnancial accounting system, but it does have
built-in personnel cost Functions For Funds management.
Any labor-associated costs in the Army are based on
personnel categories—military, civilian, contractor or
local national rates.
But these rates can vary widely by location, and even
within identical job descriptions when you add in Factors
like grades/ranks, time in service, or contract costs. This
means there are no set rules, and no single source For
getting wage-rate data that applies Army-wide.
So, does this mean you’re up a creek without a wage-
rate paddle? Not at all!
±irst, talk to your unit’s fnancial division to get some local guidance.
Remember, while military and civilian labor rates are set at a national level,
contractor and local national labor rates vary. Your unit’s oFfcial contracting
representative can give you contract-specifc labor rates.
There’s also an oFfcial website to help solve wage-rate puzzles. The Army Military-
Civilian Cost System (AMCOS) has average salaries, overhead costs and related data
by career felds For military, government, contractor and private sector jobs.
You’ll need to register For an AMCOS account the frst time, but once it’s synched
up with your AKO, you’re golden. Check it out:
AMCOS also covers liFe cycle cost estimates For weapon systems and other
personnel and economic data. The inFormation on this helpFul website can help fll the
wage-rate gap that exists in today’s maintenance systems. AMCOS
gives SAMS-E users a baseline, so they can more accurately project
labor costs.
T
o help you meet new pre-deployment language training require-
ments, the Army’s Rosetta Stone® program has added six more
languages to its offerings. The latest additions are Dari, Pashto, Iraqi
Arabic, Urdu, Swahili and Indonesian.
These courses are the military editions, so they include an
additional unit of instruction that teaches military-specific terms and
commands. The language exercises also include military scenarios.
All Active Duty, National Guard, Army Reserve Soldiers and
Department of the Army civilians can access free training for 31
languages through the Army e-Learning website:
uh-
oh!
Maintenance
Management…
Are You Boxed-in by
SAMS-E Wage Blanks?
Breaking
Down
Language
Barriers
in some situations,
there isn’t
time
to
call in a translator.
brushing up on
language skills
before
you deploy
will help you
confidently navigate
unfamiliar waters.
you can also make
a positive impression
in your host
country.
Training…
looks like
I’M UP THE
CREEK Without
a wage-rate
paddle!
700.58-59.indd
1-2
1/28/11
5:38 PM
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