March 10, 2021 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security
Contracts for March 9, 2021
Today
January 23, 2020 | International, Naval
Congress should fund new, not used sealift vessels, say former Maritime Administration officials
By: David B. Larter
WASHIGTON — Five former Maritime Administration officials have called on Congress to fund the construction of new sealift vessels instead of pushing the plan to buy and convert used ships on the open market.
In a letter to the chairs of the House and Senate Appropriations committees, officials from both Republican and Democrat administrations said replacing the nation's organic surge sealift fleet, which has an average hull life of 44 years, is essential to maintaining the ability to send troops and materiel overseas on short notice.
The letter, signed by former MARAD Administrator Clyde Hart, as well as four other former MARAD attorneys and policy chiefs, called for Congress to build new ships to spur shipbuilding in the United States and to cut down on maintenance hassles that could spell delays in a crisis.
“First, the new ships would be immediately operational,” the letter said, “and the Maritime Administration won't have to spend precious time finding long-obsolete parts, therein delay surge capacity. Second, building ships in the United States creates jobs, spurs spending and strengthens the U.S. shipbuilding industry.”
The letter comes in the wake of findings from last year's turbo activation that only about 40 percent of the sealift fleet would be ready to surge in a crisis, and that the force would be “challenged to be immediately ready for a large-scale inter-theater force deployment,” which is its entire raison d'etre.
The sealift fleet is composed of 26 Military Sealift Command pre-positioning ships, 46 ships in the Ready Reserve Force and 15 command-owned roll-on/roll-off surge force ships. Many of the roll-on/roll-off ships are steam-operated, and the obsolete equipment is causing significant personnel issues in the pool of qualified civilian mariners needed to operate them.
The White House's Office of Management and Budget favors a “buy used” policy for the sealift fleet, which is rapidly aging out.
The Army in 2018 sent a warning to the House Armed Services Committee in an information paper regarding the nation's surge sealift capacity — which would be responsible for transporting up to 90 percent of Army and Marine Corps equipment in the event of a major war. The Army said the capacity would fall below its requirement by 2024.
“Without proactive recapitalization of the Organic Surge Sealift Fleet, the Army will face unacceptable risk in force projection capability beginning in 2024,” the document said, adding that the advanced age of the current fleet adds further risk to the equation.
“By 2034, 70% of the organic fleet will be over 60 years old — well past its economic useful life; further degrading the Army's ability to deploy forces,” the document read.
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November 4, 2020 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security
Contract Awards by US Department of Defense - November 03, 2020
ARMY RC Construction Co. and Millstone Weber JV, Greenwood, Mississippi, was awarded an $81,499,929 firm-fixed-price contract for removal and replacement of existing electrical equipment, including airfield lighting and lighting vault equipment, and the reconstruction of Runway 05-23 at Pope Army Airfield. Bids were solicited via the internet with two received. Work will be performed at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, with an estimated completion date of May 1, 2021. Fiscal 2021 operation and maintenance, Army funds in the amount of $81,499,929 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah, Georgia, is the contracting activity (W912HN-21-C-3001). Phylway Construction LLC, Thibodaux, Louisiana, was awarded a $59,310,781 firm-fixed-price contract for construction of hurricane protection features in Plaquemines Parrish, Louisiana. Bids were solicited via the internet with six received. Work will be performed in New Orleans, Louisiana, with an estimated completion date of Nov. 10, 2024. Fiscal 2020 civil construction funds in the amount of $59,310,781 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Vicksburg, Mississippi, is the contracting activity (W912P8-21-C-0002). DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY Medtronic USA Inc., Minneapolis, Minnesota, has been awarded a maximum $62,658,150 fixed-price with economic-price-adjustment, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for spinal orthopedic procedural packages. 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 one-year base contract with four one-year option periods. Location of performance is Minnesota, with a Nov. 2, 2021, ordering period end date. Using customers are Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and federal civilian agencies. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2021 through 2022 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (SPE2DE-21-D-0001). NAVY Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Chandler, Arizona, is awarded a $57,096,626 firm-fixed-price contract. This contract provides for the manufacture and delivery of 19 full rate production Lot 14 GQM-163A Coyote supersonic sea skimming targets; 16 for the Navy and three for the government of Japan. Additionally, this contract procures associated technical and administrative data. Work will be performed in Camden, Arkansas (43%); Chandler, Arizona (35%); Vergennes, Vermont (8%); Cincinnati, Ohio (4%); Oconomowoc, Wisconsin (4%); Lancaster, Pennsylvania (4%); and various locations within the continental U.S. (2%), and is expected to be completed in December 2023. Fiscal 2020 weapons procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $48,081,369; and Foreign Military Sales funds in the amount of $9,015,257 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured pursuant to Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity (N00019-21-C-0005). Detyens Shipyards, Charleston, South Carolina, is awarded an $18,144,376, 76-calendar day, firm-fixed-price contract (N32205-21-C-4015) for the regular overhaul dry-docking availability of the fleet replenishment oiler USNS Leroy Grumman (T-AO 195). The contract includes options which, if exercised, would bring the total contract value to $18,144,376. Funds will be obligated Nov. 3, 2020. Work will be performed in Charleston, South Carolina, and is expected to begin Jan. 20, 2021, and be completed by April 5, 2021. Contract funds in the amount of $17,554,850, excluding options, are obligated for fiscal 2021 using working capital funds (Navy). This contract was competitively procured with proposals solicited via the beta.sam.gov website and three offers were received. The Military Sealift Command, Norfolk, Virginia, is the contracting activity. HDR Engineering Inc., Charlotte, North Carolina, is awarded a firm-fixed-price task order modification (N40085-19-F-6080) at $8,492,340 under architect/engineer, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for post award construction services in support of Hurricane Florence Recovery Package 2, located at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. Hurricane Florence Recovery Package 2 consists of eight separate military construction projects. Work will be performed in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, and is expected to be completed by October 2024. Fiscal 2020 military construction (Navy) contract funds in the amount of $8,144,376 are obligated on this award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Mid-Atlantic, Norfolk, Virginia, is the contracting activity (N40085-18-D-0601). Sealift Inc. of Delaware, Oyster Bay, New York, is awarded an $8,030,000 option for the fixed-price portion of previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract N32205-17-C-3510 with reimbursable elements to exercise a one-year option period to support Military Sealift Command's Sealift program for U.S.-flagged container vessel M/V MAJ Bernard F. Fisher to support the Air Force for the prepositioning and transportation of cargo. The contract includes one 116-day firm period of performance, four one-year option periods, and one 212-day option period, which if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to $42,579,948. Work will be performed worldwide and is expected to be completed, if all options are exercised, by June 11, 2022. Transportation working capital funds in the amount of $7,238,000 are obligated for fiscal 2021 and will not expire at the end of the fiscal year. Contract funds in the amount of $792,000 for the remainder of Option Four are to be provided for fiscal 2022 and are subject to the availability of funds in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation 52.232-18. This contract was a small business set-aside with more than 50 companies solicited via the Federal Business Opportunities website and four offers received. The Military Sealift Command, Norfolk, Virginia, is the contracting activity (N32205-17-C-3510). AIR FORCE Supertel Network Inc., Melbourne, Florida, has been awarded a $9,099,694 cost-plus-award-fee contract for the Minuteman III Remote Visual Assessment program. Work will be performed in Ogden, Utah; Malmstrom Air Force Base, Montana; Minot AFB, North Dakota; and F.E. Warren AFB, Wyoming, and is expected to be completed by Nov. 3, 2021. Fiscal 2021 operation and maintenance funds in the amount of $2,181,000 are being obligated at the time of award. The Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center, Hill AFB, Utah, is the contracting activity (FA8214-21-C-0001). *Small business https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Contracts/Contract/Article/2403972/source/GovDelivery/
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October 15, 2021 | International, Aerospace
New products featured at NBAA-BACE 2021 - Skies Mag
Skies caught up with six companies at the 2021 NBAA convention in Las Vegas, Nevada, who have launched new products in the past year.