Canada's Multi-Mission Aircraft Team

On the same subject

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  April 24, 2018 | Information, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR

  Bridging the ­Procurement Divide

  CHRIS MACLEAN © 2018 FrontLine Defence (Vol 15, No 2) A critically honest and engaged discussion about government and industry engagement, was held recently at the Telfer School of Management as part of the new Complex Project Leadership Programs. The program participants (mostly federal civil servants who are involved in procurement) interacted with executive-level industry leaders – Joe Armstrong, Vice President and General Manager at CAE; Jerry McLean, Vice President and Managing Director of Thales Canada; Iain Christie, Vice President of AIAC; and Kevin Ford, CEO of Calian – who shared their leadership insights, as well as what it is really like to do business in Canada. Through the highlighting of mutual pain points and frustrations, as well as identifying what is being done well and ways to move forward together, efficiently, each party gained insight and understanding that is sure to improve communication and future progress. It was evident that both sides wanted to learn from each other and pinpoint the principles that would help achieve mutual success; ultimately impacting the national economic footprint and saving taxpayer dollars. From the industry perspective, dependability equals direction. When a company can be assured that it has a fair opportunity to compete for a contract, it can set its sights on that goal and will make the necessary investments to ensure the best possible outcome. When government programs start and stop and change and restart, companies find it difficult to justify the extended costs because they lose their competitive edge and/or any ability to make a profit. Instability does not save the taxpayer, but it does have the potential to impact both quality of product and sustainability of the bidders (therefore employment numbers). Contracts equal sustainability and confirmation that the company direction is on track for success. Profit equals growth and further investment. Employment and supply chain purchases depend on a profit margin that allows growth. This “number one” business requirement conflicts with the government's prime directive is to ensure its bidders make a bare minimum of profit. When asked what they need from their government counterparts in order to create a better working relationship and foster a robust industry that can contribute to a strong GDP, the industry panelists identified two key elements. One was “more accuracy in the procurement process” and the other was “predictability”. Industry must be able to foresee where profits and sustainability could potentially come from. The time it takes to award large projects is also a limiting factor to success. It was noted that, since the beginning of time, a cornerstone of success for industry has always been ensuring the satisfaction of its client. It is believed that trust in the quality of the product and ease of customer service will lead to sustainability in the form of continued business. Not so with government contracts, which seem skewed to ensure previous successes gain no advantage, and must in some cases be hidden from decision-makers. Not taking into account a company's excellent past delivery performance, was said to contribute to industry's lack of incentive to perform to the best of its ability at all times. A company's ability to invest goes beyond individual contracts, which means the prospect of being evaluated for value can be a powerful incentive for going that extra mile – if exploited, not suppressed. Government employees were encouraged to exhibit courage in pursuing ways to truly streamline the procurement process, rather than repeatedly adding more and more layers of approvals and meetings. Industry leaders across the spectrum have commented on a palpable “lack of trust” on the part of government negotiators. Does this mistrust come from contract negotiators feeling the pursuit of profit is somehow un-Canadian? Or does it mean a company does not care enough about its customers? Neither assumption is accurate, and this may be one area where a culture change could make a world of difference. As one audience member exclaimed: “This was the best, most transparent conversation regarding the procurement process, I have ever heard.” While large-scale procurements will always be contentious due to the huge dollars and risk at stake, embracing the concept of open and unreserved dialogue, like what was experienced by this small group, has the potential to uncover procurement pitfalls and create a more progressive process. The Telfer School of Management's Complex Program Leadership programs focus on the hard and soft skills necessary to successfully deliver inherently complex programs and projects, while emphasizing strategic thinking, creative problem solving, stakeholder engagement, and leadership skills as key building blocks for this goal. http://defence.frontline.online/article/2018/2/9586-Bridging-the-vast-%C2%ADProcurement-Divide

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  August 22, 2018 | Information, Naval

  Canada’s Combat Ship Procurement Process

  A FrontLine Report © 2018 FrontLine Defence (Vol 15, No 4) Activity on the Canadian Surface Combatant (CSC) procurement project, the “Crown Jewel” of the Government's National Shipbuilding Strategy, is starting to heat up as contenders submit their bids. Since FrontLine last articles detailing the CSC project, Canada's prime contractor, Irving Shipbuilding Industries (ISI) and their U.S. subcontractors have been busy reviewing the final bids submitted by the three industry teams who emerged over the past two years as serious enough in the pursuit to invest the significant amount of capital required to generate a bid. Stressing that the following list is in no particular order, the 3 bidders are: Team Alion – composed of Alion Canada (a subsidiary of American Alion Science and Technology), Atlas Elektronik (now being merged under thyssenkrupp Marine Systems), and Hensoldt Sensor, (a spin-off from Airbus Group), this group is bidding the Dutch Damen Scheld Naval Shipbuilding De Zeven Provinciën Air Defence and Command (LCF) frigate, which has 10+ years in service under its belt. Team BAE – or CSC Home Team as they like to be called, includes Lockheed Martin Canada, BAE Systems Canada, L3 Technologies Canada, MacDonald Dettwiler and Associates (now a component of U.S. MAXAR Technologies), Ultra Marine Systems Canada, and CAE. Their proposed design is the BAE UK-designed Type 26 Global Combat Ship (GCS). Team Navantia – consisting of Navantia SA of Spain, Saab Australia, and CEA Technologies, this team is bidding the F105 frigate design. Currently in service with the Spanish Navy, the design has also been chosen by Norway and Australia. Other team members include US Lockheed Martin (Moorestown, NJ), General Dynamic Mission Systems – Canada, DRS Technologies Limited Canada (now a Leonardo company), OSI Maritime Systems, and Rheinmetall Canada. Meanwhile, in a decision that may impact Canada's thinking, Australia has announced that it chose the T26 Global Combat Ship (GCS) as the winning design in its Sea5000 program. This announcement occurred just before Canada Day and local pundits were quick to comment on the potential impact on the CSC down-select process. Most agreed that this was good news for the CSC Home Team bidders despite its “paper ship” classification of not being a proven design. With the T26 design being developed concurrently in Canada, timelines are such that there is a possibility that in fact Canada may have a GCS completed before the UK. We now find the CSC program in the final stage of bid evaluation, which includes the ‘Cured' Technical component as well as the financials. There is speculation that the Crown will adopt a similar approach for the financial component as they did for the technical component, which is a financial “cure” opportunity. The expectation is that there will be a period of several months to accommodate the cure process and arrive at final bids from the three teams, and then a 4-week turn around for the final (amended) financial information to be submitted. Looking back, readers will recall that in 2016 we witnessed the Trudeau promise to kill the F-35 purchase and put more money into shipbuilding, and in particular the CSC Project. This was assessed as posturing as we all knew that most of the F-35 budget is money that would be spent on operations and maintenance, not capital expenditure. However, after the election, the Trudeau Government did make good (sort of) on the promise to “take a look under the hood” in terms of adjusting the CSC procurement process. Although they did not change the engine, they did more than just tinkering with the carb. In 2017 the Trudeau Government realized the dual stream selection method for a warship designer and a combat system integrator, known as the RFRE qualifier process, was a mis-step and changed the procurement process to allow teams to form and submit a combined Design and Combat systems bid. Around this time-frame, they also awarded a “shipbuilding” contract that fell outside of the NSS. An unsolicited proposal was accepted from Chantier Davie to convert a container ship into an urgently needed temporary replacement for the auxiliary oiler replenishment (AOR) capability. Given that neither Irving nor Seaspan had the capacity to execute this AOR contract in a timely manner, and notwithstanding that Irving made an intervention to try to kill the award to Chantier Davie, which caused the new Liberal Government to put the award on hold, the “pause” on the “At Sea Support” project (aka Project Resolve) was short-lived. The deal was upheld and MV Asterix was successfully delivered to DND on time and on budget. This is a true success story in these times of amazing ineptitude in defence contracting. Regrettably, neither the RCN nor DND have had much to say about the success of Asterix – we can only surmise this is a result of the most unfortunate “Norman-Gate”. Back to CSC, the reader will undoubtedly remember the 2017 surprise of finding out that Irving would be sharing bidders' sensitive intellectual property with its subcontractors, most of them American. The most astounding of those in Irving's information pipeline for sensitive proprietary information, was Gibbs & Cox – a naval engineering firm and a competitor to many, if not all, of the potential designers. Others include AT Kearney Public Service and Defense Services (a U.S. consulting firm); Fleetway Inc. (part of the Irving Group); and Systems Planning and Analysis Inc. (another U.S. consulting firm). It was reported by David Pugliese in March that the Government approved an additional $54 million (for a total of $83 million) for project bid evaluation, and then in April, he reported that all three bidders had failed to meet some requirements. 2016 RFRE qualifiers As announced by the Government in November 2016, the RFRE qualifiers for Warship Design were (in alphabetical order): Alion-JJMA Corp. BAE Systems Surface Ships Limited DCNS SA (now Naval Group) Fincantieri Naval Vessels Navantia SA Odense Maritime Technology ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems The RFRE qualifiers for Combat Systems Integrator included: Atlas Elektronik DCNS SA (Naval Group) Lockheed Martin Canada Saab Australia Pty Ltd. Selex ES (now Leonardo) Thales Nederland B.V. ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems After the RFRE process was abandoned... Regarding the 2016 RFRE process and quest for the holy grail (officially known as the Total Ship Reference Point or TSRP), only three of those original qualifiers are now left in the race. The others dropped out (or teamed up) for one reason or another over the past 24 months – some by simply vacating the premises so to speak, while others went out with somewhat of a bang. Of the 2016 qualifiers, Naval Group (formerly DCNS), Fincantieri, and Odense Maritime Technology have walked away. Interestingly, two of the qualifiers (DCNS/Naval Group and TKMS) had been pre-qualified in both streams and had been assessed as having the upper hand, however, neither submitted a bid after examining the Irving/Government's bid conditions and recognizing the risk of sharing IP without contracted legal protection in place. We shall look at them first. DCNS – Naval Group The French FREMM (multi-mission frigate) project by Naval Group (formerly DCNS) was touted as combining the latest technologies developed by Naval Group and a design adapted to Canadian requirements. It was to be the cornerstone of French efforts to share its expertise with Canadian partners. In 2015-16, DCNS was reportedly taking the CSC Project very seriously. However, their gravitas was all for naught as it saw the sharing IP without a contract as jeopardizing its future. Possibly because of this, Naval Group failed to seriously engage Canadian Suppliers which would allow it to develop a winning strategy. Rather, what evolved into a French (Naval Group) – Italian (Fincantieri S.p.A. Naval Vessels Business Unit) FREMM lash-up, and chose to not submit a bid in accordance with the Government/Irving RFP, but instead proposed an off-the-shelf purchase for a very reasonable $30 Billion. Their rationale, as reported in the press, was they did not want to hand over sensitive proprietary data to Irving and its subcontractors. This proposal was not well received by PSPC, which publicly stated the proposal would not be considered. thyssenkrupp Marine Systems thyssenkrupp Marine Systems (tkMS) of Germany was also very forthcoming in providing information on its potential RFRE submission. Its project references were based primarily on its role as prime contractor for the F124 frigates, where it was responsible for the development of the Combat Management System software and the integration of entirely new and highly-complex sensor and weapon system technologies. tkMS saw itself as fully capable of providing complete logistics support with training facilities, operator and technician training, discrete logistics support elements, as well as the supply of spare parts for both the platform and combat systems. In early 2017, and despite having qualified as CSI and WD, tkMS had assessed the potential for winning, and particularly the requirement to submit proprietary technical data to a non-government agency (read ISI), as unpalatable and all but withdrew from the race. The local Ottawa office did not submit a bid for the final 30 November deadline for the technical and Canadian Content Value aspects of the bid. In hindsight, the modular approach to the tkMS MEKO design concept featured in the design of Germany's F124 and F125 warship-size frigates, is still a very appealing design and may have carried the day. Their decision to withdraw was reportedly based on factors that included an intense distrust of sharing intellectual property other than Government to Government. Danish Iver Huitfeldt Frigate by Odense Maritime Technologies (OMT) – Maersk In 2015, the Danish Iver Huitfeldt-class frigate was considered one of the four serious contender designs. At 6600 GRT and 138 metres in length, the vessel appeared to be a good fit for the CSC high-level requirements as briefed by the Royal Canadian Navy in August 2014. The team that produced the ship design – Maersk Shipping, Odense and the Danish Navy – established itself as Odense Maritime Technology (OMT) to market its expertise in producing spacious, logical, efficient designs that can be procured for much less than a warship of similar tonnage built elsewhere. The Iver Huitfeldt Frigate design is powered by four diesel main engines driving two shafts in separate engine rooms, max speed 29 knots. The weapons are in modular units for ease of change-out or upgrade, and there is space for four TEU shipping containers for additional mission fits. The Danish Navy operates the ship with a crew of 105, although there are additional 60 bunks for mission fit, training staff and other requirements. The cost to build was quoted as $325M, which was considerably cheaper than expected and was certainly appealing to the bean counters in the early days of the program. Below the main deck, the ship's design is largely commercial, having been designed by Maersk, one of the world's largest shipping companies. In hindsight, perhaps the commercial below decks design was just that – too commercial. Notwithstanding, the FrontLine assessment is that OMT's lack of commitment to the program and the need to pre-commit on Canadian content was their downfall. Despite the efforts of OMT's Vice President Business Development, Mr. Kevin Pitt, from the Toronto office, and qualification through the RFRE process, the bid was destined to fail from the outset. OMT was unable to line up a dance partner in the form of a CSI in time to adapt to the new procurement strategy and the bid collapsed. FrontLine's view was, and still is, good design notwithstanding, to be competitive OMT should have invested in a larger engineering and design footprint in Canada with all the necessary security bells and whistles to support their marketing process. Selex ES – Leonardo DRS As an RFRE qualifier, Selex ES never emerged from the shadows as a contender. The Leonardo bid of an Italian FREMM seemed to wither as time went on. Eventually, as mentioned above, the French Naval Group and the Italians combined forces but never got out of the starting block after they received the results of the pre-qualifier bid review process. Thales Nederland Another multi-national, Thales Group, was also successful with their submission in response to the CSI RFRE, relying primarily on their international credentials for project references from Thales Nederland BV. Thales has significant bona fides, having integrated Combat Systems across 27 shipyards on nearly 200 naval platforms, making it one of the leading Naval Combat Systems Integration companies in the world, and Thales Canada has been the largest supplier of naval sensors to the RCN for the past 40 years. Thales is proud of its track record in integrating Above Water and Underwater Warfare suites and its extensive experience integrating communications suites. Thales Canada was seen as having good potential to emerge on a team as a strong player. However, there were not enough dance partners to go around among the designers and Thales dropped down to the category of potential Tier 2 supplier. Like many of the other potential CSI bidders, Thales is maintaining close contact with all of the potential CSIs and would likely be a supplier to the eventual CSI winner in their strong suit – Naval Combat System products in the areas of Naval Radars and Electro-optical solutions, Naval Underwater systems, Electronic Warfare systems, and Naval Communications system. Thales will continue as a Tier 1 partner with Seaspan for the delivery of all of Mission Systems solutions for the Joint Support Ships (JSS) and Coast Guard vessels. The 2017 award of the in-service support contract known as AJISS – for the Arctic Offshore Patrol Ships (AOPS) and JSS – will keep Thales in Canada for years to come. Full article: https://defence.frontline.online/article/2018/4/10242-Canada's-Combat-Ship-Procurement-Process

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  September 18, 2020 | Information, Aerospace, Naval, Land, Security, Other Defence

  Contract Awards by US Department of Defense – September 17, 2020

  NAVY Collins Aerospace, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, is awarded a $316,733,831 modification (P00015) to previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract N00421-18-D-0004. This modification exercises an option for the procurement of 11,313 AN/ARC-210(v) radios for installation in over 400 strategic and tactical airborne, seaborne and land based (mobile and fixed) platforms for the Navy, Marine Corps, Army, Coast Guard, other government agencies and Foreign Military Sales customers. Work will be performed in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and is expected to be completed by September 2023. No funds are being obligated at time of award. Funds will be obligated on individual delivery orders as they are issued. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. Marathon Construction Corp., Lakeside, California (N62473-16-D-1802); Granite-Healy Tibbitts JV, Watsonville, California (N62473-16-D-1803); Reyes Construction Inc., Pomona, California (N62473-16-D-1804); Manson Construction, Seattle, Washington (N62473-16-D-1805); and R.E. Staite Engineering Inc.,* San Diego, California (N62473-16-D-1806), are awarded $75,000,000 to increase the aggregate capacity of the previously awarded suite of firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, multiple award construction contracts. The maximum dollar value including the base year and four option years for all five contracts combined is increased from $240,000,000 to $315,000,000. The contracts are for new construction, repair and renovation of various waterfront facilities at various locations predominantly within the Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) Southwest area of responsibility (AOR). Work will be performed predominantly within the NAVFAC Southwest AOR including, but not limited to, California (98%), and will be available to the NAVFAC Atlantic AOR (2%) as approved by the contracting officer. No funds are being obligated on this award and no funds will expire. Future task orders will be primarily funded by military construction (Navy); operations and maintenance (O&M) (Navy); O&M (Marine Corps); and Navy working capital funds. The original contract was competitively procured via the Navy Electronic Commerce Online website, with 13 proposals received. NAVFAC Southwest, San Diego, California, is the contracting activity. Lockheed Martin Corp., Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, is awarded a $70,847,707 modification (P00023) to previously awarded cost-plus-incentive-fee contract N00019-19-C-0010. This modification provides requirements decomposition through system functional review for the F-35 Super Multi-Function Aircraft Data Link Band 5 receiver warning capability in support of the Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and non-Department of Defense (DOD) participants. Work will be performed in Nashua, New Hampshire (35%); San Diego, California (20%); Fort Worth, Texas (20%); Baltimore, Maryland (15%); and Hunt Valley, Maryland (10%), and is expected to be completed by June 2023. Fiscal 2020 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $821,960; fiscal 2020 research, development, test and evaluation (Air Force) funds in the amount of $821,960; non-DOD participant funds in the amount of $356,080 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. Testek LLC, Wixom, Michigan, is awarded a $38,071,331 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract. This contract is for the production and delivery of up to 42 Aircraft Generator Test Stands (AGTS), 41 for the Navy and one for a Foreign Military Sales customer. The AGTS will be used to conduct full functional testing of the new F/A-18E/F and EA-18G G4 generator converter units, the V-22 Constant Frequency Generator and Variable Frequency Generator, the ALQ-99 Ram Air Turbine Generator and generators tested by the legacy Aircraft Engine Component Test Stand (AECTS) at those sites where the AECTS is being replaced by the AGTS. Work will be performed in Wixom, Michigan, and is expected to be completed by September 2026. No funds will be obligated at the time of award. Funds will be obligated on individual orders as they are issued. This contract was competitively procured via an electronic request for proposal, two offers were received. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Lakehurst, New Jersey, is the contracting activity (N68335-20-D-0048). General Electric Aviation, Lynn, Massachusetts, is awarded a $19,631,873 cost-plus-fixed-fee order (N00019-20-F-0748) against previously issued basic ordering agreement N00019-16-G-0005. This order provides project management as well as recurring and non-recurring engineering support, materials and documentation to implement, manage and report on the B-Sump Additive Manufacturing, Temperature Distortion Sensitivity Test, second source bearing, second source external hose and fittings, Second Source Accessory Gear Box, and emergency oil system elimination cost reduction initiatives in support of the CH-53K T408 engine. Work will be performed in Lynn, Massachusetts (80%); Patuxent River, Maryland (15%); and Evendale, Ohio (5%), and is expected to be completed by December 2024. Fiscal 2018 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $14,997,273; and fiscal 2019 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $4,634,600 will be obligated at time of award, $14,997,273 of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. U.S. SPECIAL OPERATIONS COMMAND Battelle Memorial Institute, Columbus, Ohio, received a ceiling increase modification in the amount of $140,000,000 to an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for the production of Non-Standard Commercial Vehicle 2 (H92222-16-D-0043). This modification raises the contract ceiling to $310,000,000 to account for additional emergent Special Operations Forces requirements. The work will be performed in Columbus, Ohio, and is expected to be completed by July 2023. This modification was awarded through a sole-source acquisition in accordance with 10 U.S. Code 2304(c)(1) and Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302.1. U.S. Special Operations Command, Tampa, Florida, is the contracting activity. MISSILE DEFENSE AGENCY Modern Technology Solutions Inc. (MTSI),* Huntsville, Alabama, is being awarded a noncompetitive cost-plus-fixed-fee contract with a total value of $68,503,410. Under this new contract, the contractor will support the extension of Missile Defense System capabilities through evaluation, identification and maturation of new technologies and future concepts (e.g. hypersonics, cruise missiles, cyber offense and defense, artificial intelligence/machine learning, quantum science, left-through-right-of-launch integration, fully networked command and control and directed energy) to support the Concepts and Performance Lab (CAPL) under the Missile Defense Agency's Advanced Technology initiative. The CAPL program shall support these initiatives by maturing advanced interceptor and sensor concepts models and simulations, algorithm development/implementations, laboratory experiments and/or ground and flight-testing required for technical and operational assessment of capabilities. The work will be performed in Huntsville, Alabama. The period of performance is Sept. 17, 2020, through Sept. 16, 2023, with two one-year options. Fiscal 2020 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $3,800,000 are being obligated on this award. The Missile Defense Agency, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity (HQ0860-20-C-0006). DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY LOC Performance Products Inc.,* Plymouth, Michigan, has been awarded a maximum $47,634,898 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for left and right final drives. This was a sole-source acquisition using justification 10 U.S. Code 2304 (c)(1), as stated in Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1. This is a five-year contract with no option periods. Location of performance is Michigan, with an Aug. 30, 2025, ordering period end date. Using military service is Army. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2020 through 2025 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Land and Maritime, Warren, Michigan (SPRDL1-20-D-0093). Golden State Medical Supply Inc., Camarillo, California, has been awarded a maximum $10,306,354 fixed-price, requirements contract for Duloxetine HCL DR (hydrochloride, delayed release) capsules. This was a competitive acquisition with three responses received. This is a one-year base contract with four one-year option periods. Locations of performance are California and Spain, with a Sept. 16, 2021, performance completion date. Using customers are Department of Defense, Department of Veterans Affairs, Indian Health Services and Federal Bureau of Prisons. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2020 through 2021 defense working capital funds. The contracting agency is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (SPE2D2-20-D-0098). ARMY Marinex Construction Inc., Charleston, South Carolina, was awarded a $33,998,700 firm-fixed-price contract for maintenance and new work dredging. Bids were solicited via the internet with four received. Work will be performed in Charleston, South Carolina, with an estimated completion date of July 10, 2022. Fiscal 2020 civil construction funds in the amount of $31,639,750 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Charleston, South Carolina, is the contracting activity (W912HP-20-C-0008). Benaka Inc.,* New Brunswick, New Jersey, was awarded a $9,162,000 firm-fixed-price contract for design and build renovations and additions for an Army Reserve Center. Bids were solicited via the internet with four received. Work will be performed in Orangeburg, New York, with an estimated completion date of Sept. 7, 2022. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance (Army) Reserve funds in the amount of $9,162,000 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Louisville, Kentucky, is the contracting activity (W912QR-20-C-0038). General Dynamics Information Technology, Falls Church, Virginia, was awarded an $8,204,786 modification (P00026) to contract W81XWH-17-F-0078 for administrative support services for the U.S. Army Medical Materiel Activity. Work will be performed at Fort Detrick, Maryland, with an estimated completion date of Sept. 30, 2021. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance (Army) funds in the amount of $8,204,786 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity, Fort Detrick, Maryland, is the contracting activity. Zodiac-Poettker HBZ JV LLC,* St. Louis, Missouri, was awarded a $7,516,000 firm-fixed-price contract to design and construct a dining facility for the Veterans Affairs (VA) Law Enforcement Training Center and Eugene J. Towbin Healthcare Center. Bids were solicited via the internet with six received. Work will be performed in North Little Rock, Arkansas, with an estimated completion date of April 12, 2022. Fiscal 2019 VA minor construction funds in the amount of $7,516,000 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Little Rock, Arkansas, is the contracting activity (W9127S-20-C-6013). DEFENSE ADVANCED RESEARCH PROJECTS AGENCY Strategic Analysis Inc., Arlington, Virginia, has been awarded a $10,040,273 modification (P00008) to previously awarded contract HR0011-19-F-0101 for engineering, artificial intelligence and machine learning, social science, chemistry, physics, mathematics, materials and front office technical and administrative support services. The modification brings the total cumulative face value of the contract to $19,805,466 from $9,765,193. Work will be performed in Arlington, Virginia, with an expected completion date of September 2021. Fiscal 2020 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $2,237,061 are being obligated at time of award. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Arlington, Virginia, is the contracting activity. WASHINGTON HEADQUARTERS SERVICES Logistics Management Institute, Tysons, Virginia, has been awarded a $7,714,127 firm-fixed-price-level-of-effort and time-and-materials contract. The contract provides a broad range of Department of Defense logistics and program support operations to the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Sustainment, the Office of Deputy Assistant Secretaries of Defense for Logistics and the Office of Deputy Assistant Secretaries of Defense for Materiel Readiness. This includes analytic support, meeting facilitation, statistical and data analyses and subject matter expertise in various logistics disciplines and government/commercial supply chain practices; strategic communications; operational contract support; private security contractors; vendor threat mitigation; and strategic integration. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $7,714,127 are being awarded. The expected completion date is June 25, 2025. Washington Headquarters Services, Arlington, Virginia, is the contracting activity (HQ0034-20-F-0505). AIR FORCE Riverside Research Institute, New York, New York, has been awarded a $7,051,887 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for the research and development of algorithms and tools to produce high-quality radio frequency modeling data. Work will be performed at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, and is expected to be completed by Sept. 30, 2025. Fiscal 2020 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $1,140,000 are being obligated at the time of award. Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8650-20-C-1131). *Small business https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Contracts/Contract/Article/2352082/source/GovDelivery/