Army Reserve Enhances Remote Monitoring Program, Signs New Centralized Contract

The U.S. Army Reserve has partnered with the Department of the Interior for centralized contract support to expand the Enterprise Building Control Systems (EBCS) program. WellBuilt Solutions was awarded an Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity contract for $30 million over the next five years to integrate additional buildings into the central monitoring system. Additionally, through Pacific Northwest National Lab (PNNL), the Army Reserve is utilizing funding from the Environmental Security Technology Certification Program (ESTCP) and the Army Installation Modernization Pilot Program (AIMp2) to pilot and apply innovative technologies to further enhance the program.

“The EBCS program started in 2015 when the Army Reserve established a working group to develop a program to provide remote monitoring, troubleshooting, and control facilities,” explained Josh Schmalbach, who provides contract support as the Army Reserve Installation Management Directorate’s EBCS Action Officer. “With our facilities being geographically dispersed, the Army Reserve benefits greatly from now having over 325 buildings integrated into the EBCS. This centralized contract will push us towards our goal of 500 buildings by 2028 as we target new construction, renovated facilities, those that host critical missions, and large buildings with high energy use.”

Army Reserve Centers are ideal candidates for EBCS as these sites can lack full-time staff and can experience periods of time with low/partial occupancy. Utilizing EBCS’s analytics and functions brings enterprise data all to one point to understand how systems work, track trends, and identify abnormalities to help diagnose issues in realtime.

Along with integrating additional buildings into the system, the Army Reserve Energy and Water Program is partnering with PNNL to pilot new initiatives that are funded through the ESTCP and AIMp2. The goal of these projects is to demonstrate innovative, scalable technologies that can further strengthen EBCS capabilities and enhance Army Reserve readiness. “We have a lot of exciting ESTCP projects in the works including adding additional layers of meta data to EBCS that will add value when coupled with enterprise platforms like Army Vantage and new tools utilizing AI. We are also piloting a chiller performance project, as well as a real-time optimization tool at 30 test sites – which are showing up to 30% in energy savings at those locations.”

The continued expansion of EBCS, paired with the Army Reserve’s commitment to testing forward-leaning technologies, signals a major step toward smarter, more resilient, and more efficient facility operations. As new buildings come online and innovations mature, the Army Reserve is positioning itself to better manage energy use, reduce operational risk, and strengthen mission readiness across its nationwide footprint. The program’s next phase isn’t just about integrating more buildings; it’s about building a modernized, data-driven infrastructure that supports Soldiers and the mission.

(Released by MAJ Long Pham)