Editor’s note: This article by Amanda Miller originally appeared on Military.com, a leading source of news for the military and veteran community.
The company that will soon be responsible for all U.S. military troops' worldly possessions during moves begins its phased takeover of the Defense Department's household goods shipment operation in September.
HomeSafe Alliance will finally begin managing the pickup, shipping and delivery of personal belongings during moves to new duty stations after it received the DoD's estimated $6.2 billion Global Household Goods Contract in November 2021. The joint venture between KBR, a science, technology, and engineering company, and Tier One Relocation describes itself as a "move management service provider."
Under its contract with U.S. Transportation Command, HomeSafe Alliance said it intends to "infuse" more technology into the household goods moving process, including online management and tracking of moves for military families.
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The transition to HomeSafe Alliance's management of the process gets underway this fall, officials from both entities confirmed to Military.com.
TRANSCOM announced in March that the "phased launch" would start in September. The process won't be like "flipping a switch nationwide," TRANSCOM officials told Military.com, to avoid "any rework by rushing to an artificial finish line."
Instead, a "controlled flow of shipment awards" will go out in the fall at rates and locations chosen individually by the military services. "When we identify areas [of operations] where we need to adjust, we will take the time to make those adjustments," the command said. "We will be sharing more details on those locations and dates in the coming weeks."
TRANSCOM said it will continue to administer customer surveys and the claims process.
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Pre-move surveys and arranging the packing, pickup and delivery will take place within HomeSafe Alliance's HomeSafe Connect online platform, which company officials said by email will serve "as a secure and personalized move portal for planning, accessing valuable information, and receiving updates throughout every stage of a household goods shipment."
Since receiving the contract, HomeSafe Alliance has been staffing its team, establishing customer service, developing a network of service providers -- packers, movers, etc. -- and linking its technology with TRANSCOM's, company officials said.
The biggest differences customers will notice on moving day will be the HomeSafe Connect platform with an electronic inventory of their belongings including photos, plus easy access to help from a customer care team, HomeSafe Alliance said in its response to Military.com.
That instant access to customer service is "drastically different" from today, when customers "have questions/concerns and are unable to pinpoint the appropriate point of contact who can answer their questions and resolve their issues," the company officials said.
Households will also be able to look at photos of their service providers to be able to confirm their identity when they show up.
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