June 17, 2020 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security
ARMY
EA-Wood-2 MP JV,* Hunt Valley, Maryland (W912DY-20-D-0073); and Gsina-Gilbane JV LLC,* Flemington, New Jersey (W912DY-20-D-0075), will compete for each order of the $400,000,000 hybrid (cost-plus-fixed-fee and firm-fixed-price) contract to procure the services of small business firms to perform Military Munitions Response Program responses involving conventional munitions; environmental compliance and remediation services; and other munitions-related services. Bids were solicited via the internet with 18 received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Feb. 3, 2025. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Huntsville, Alabama, is the contracting activity.
Northrup Grumman Systems Corp., Linthicum Heights, Maryland, was awarded an $89,551,256 hybrid (cost-no-fee, cost-plus-fixed-fee, firm-fixed-price) contract for Long Range Radar-Enhanced and Vehicle and Dismount Exploitation Radar program efforts. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of June 15, 2025. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, is the contracting activity (W56KGY-20-D-0012).
Oshkosh Defense LLC, Oshkosh, Wisconsin, was awarded a $61,890,745 modification (P00282) to contract W56HZV-15-C-0095 to increase available options under the current Joint Light Tactical Vehicle trailer contract from 32 to 3,541. Work will be performed in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, with an estimated completion date of Oct. 31, 2021. Fiscal 2020 procurement; defense-wide; and other procurement, Army funds in the amount of $61,890,745 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Detroit Arsenal, Michigan, is the contracting activity.
NIC4 Inc.,* Tampa, Florida, was awarded a $16,778,695 modification (P00002) to contract W91CRB-19-D-5001 to increase various line items due to additional scope and add additional services connected with Very Small Aperture Terminals services and equipment. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of July 31, 2024. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, is the contracting activity.
DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY
Seqirus Inc., Summit, New Jersey, has been awarded a maximum $66,563,972 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-quantity contract for injectable influenza vaccines. This was a competitive acquisition with two offers received. This is a one-year contract with no option periods. Location of performance is New Jersey, with a June 15, 2021, performance completion date. Using customers are Army, Air Force, Navy and Coast Guard. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2020 through 2021 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (SPE2DP-20-D-0004).
Pentaq Manufacturing Corp.,** Sabana Grande, Puerto Rico, has been awarded a maximum $33,645,750 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for trousers. This is a one-year base contract with four one-year option periods. This was a competitive acquisition with eight responses received. Location of performance is Puerto Rico, with a June 15, 2021, ordering period end date. Using military service is Army. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2020 through 2021 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (SPE1C1-20-D-1258).
Viasat Inc., Carlsbad, California, has been awarded a maximum $8,928,000 firm-fixed-price contract for AV-8B spare parts. 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 three-month contract with no option periods. Location of performance is California, with a Sept. 30, 2020, performance completion date. Using military service is Navy. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2020 Navy aircraft procurement funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Aviation, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (SPRPA1-20-C-R016).
Skupien Solutions, doing business as Superior Surgical,* Brentwood, Tennessee, has been awarded a maximum $8,000,000 fixed-price with economic-price-adjustment, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for hospital equipment and accessories for the Defense Logistics Agency electronic catalog. This was a competitive acquisition with 122 responses received. This is a five-year contract with no option periods. Location of performance is Tennessee, with a June 15, 2025, ordering period end date. Using military services are Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2020 through 2025 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (SPE2DH-20-D-0043).
NAVY
Civil Works Contracting LLC,* Wilmington, North Carolina (N40085-15-D-0847); Hager Construction Co.,* Jacksonville, Florida (N40085-15-D-0848); Onopa Services LLC,* Sanford, Florida (N40085-15-D-0850); and Quadrant Construction Inc.,* Jacksonville, North Carolina (N40085-15-D-0851), are awarded a $60,000,000 firm-fixed-price modification to increase the maximum dollar value of indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity multiple award construction contracts for general construction services within the Marine Corps Installations East area of responsibility. Work will be performed at various Navy and Marine Corps installation locations including, but not limited to, North Carolina (90%); Georgia (3%); South Carolina (3%); Virginia (3%); and other areas of the U.S. (1%). The work to be performed provides for general construction services including, but not limited to, new construction, demolition, total/partial repairs, interior/exterior and the alteration/renovation of buildings. Other systems and infrastructure may include civil, structural, mechanical, electrical, communication systems and the installation of new or extensions to existing high voltage electrical distribution systems; high pressure steam distribution systems; potable water distribution systems and sanitary sewer systems. Additional work provides for storm water control systems, painting, removal of asbestos materials, lead paint and incidental related work. Work is expected to be complete by June 2021. After award of this modification, the total maximum dollar value for all six contracts combined will be $150,000,000. No funds will be obligated at the time of award, and will be obligated on individual task orders as they are issued. Future task orders will be primarily funded by operations and maintenance (Marine Corps) and military construction funds. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command Mid-Atlantic, Norfolk, Virginia, is the contracting activity.
Austal USA, Mobile, Alabama, is awarded a $43,362,470 cost-plus-fixed-fee and firm-fixed-price modification to previously awarded contract N00024-17-C-2301 to exercise options for Littoral Combat Ships (LCS) class design services and Integrated Data and Product Model Environment (IDPME) support. Work will be performed in Mobile, Alabama (60%); and Pittsfield, Massachusetts (40%). Austal USA will provide class design services, including but not limited to, technical analyses, non-recurring engineering, configuration management, software maintenance, production assessments, diminishing manufacturing sources analysis, root cause analysis and sea frame reliability analysis. Austal USA will also maintain an IDPME that provides the Navy access to enterprise data management, visualization, program management applications, network management and control. Work is expected to be complete by June 2021. Fiscal 2014 and 2015 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy); and 2020 research, development, test, and evaluation (Navy) funding in the amount of $10,954,997 will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity.
CH2M Hill Constructors Inc., Englewood, Colorado, is awarded a $33,097,127 modification on firm-fixed-price task order N69450-20-F-0077 under a multiple award construction contract for design build repairs of Building 633 at Naval Air Station Pensacola. Work will be performed in Pensacola, Florida, and provides for the design build construction, alteration and repair of Building 633 in order to return the building to full operation. Building 633 is approximately 117,000 square feet and is a historic federal facility with administrative spaces, classrooms and an auditorium. Work is expected to be complete by September 2021. After the award of this modification, the total task order value will be $34,095,501. The task order also contains seven unexercised options, which will increase cumulative task order value to $38,407,860 if exercised. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance (Navy) contract funds in the amount of $33,097,127 are obligated on this award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Southeast, Jacksonville, Florida, is the contracting activity (N62470-19-D-8024).
AH Environmental Consultants Inc.,* Newport News, Virginia, is awarded a $15,000,000 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, architect-engineering contract with a maximum amount of $15,000,000 for professional environmental consulting services within the Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) Southeast area of operations (AO). Initial task order is being awarded at $61,661 to update the storm water pollution prevention plan and annual comprehensive evaluation plan at the Naval Support Activity, Panama City, Florida. The work provides for professional architect-engineering services for potable water, wastewater, storm water, spill control and other related miscellaneous environmental services, to include various forms of support for these environmental programs. Work for this task order is expected to be complete by September 2020. All work on this contract will be performed at various activities in the NAVFAC Southeast AO and is expected to be complete by June 2025. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance (Navy) (O&M,N) contract funds in the amount of $61,661 are obligated on this award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Future task orders will be primarily funded by O&MN. This contract was competitively procured via the Navy Electronic Commerce Online website and five proposals were received. The NAVFAC Southeast, Jacksonville, Florida, is the contracting activity (N69450-20-D-0031).
Forward Slope Inc., San Diego, California (N66001-20-D-3430); ODME Solutions LLC, San Diego, California (N66001-20-D-3431); SOLUTE, San Diego, California (N66001-20-D-3432); and Syneren Technologies Corp., Arlington, Virginia (N66001-20-D-3433), are awarded a $11,288,928 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, cost-plus-fixed-fee multiple-award contract to support meteorological and oceanographic capabilities for Foreign Military Sales systems, expeditionary/joint systems and projects supporting ashore and afloat operations worldwide. Work will be performed in San Diego, California. All four awardees will have the opportunity to compete for task orders during the ordering period. This two-year contract includes three one-year option periods, which will bring the potential value of this contract to an estimated $29,115,178 if exercised. The period of performance of the base award is from June 16, 2020, through June 15, 2022. If all options are exercised, the period of performance would extend through June 2025. No funds will be obligated at the time of award. Funds will be obligated as task orders are issued using operations and maintenance (Navy); other procurement (Navy); research, development test and evaluation (Navy); and Foreign Military Sales funds. This contract was competitively procured via request for proposal N66001-20-R-0088 which was published on the beta.SAM.gov website and the Naval Information Warfare Systems Command e-Commerce Central website. Five offers were received and four were selected for award. Naval Information Warfare Center Pacific, San Diego, California, is the contracting activity.
AIR FORCE
The Boeing Co., St. Louis, Missouri, has been awarded a $22,665,000 firm-fixed-price modification (PZ0011) to contract FA8621-17-C-6398 for F-15SA aircrew training devices (ATD). The contract modification provides for the purchase and installation of a full mission trainer (FMT), a visual database for the area of King Khalid Air Base, Saudi Arabia, and five years of contractor logistics support for existing ATDs. Work will be performed in St. Louis, Missouri; King Faisal Air Base, Saudi Arabia; and King Khalid Air Base, Saudi Arabia. This modification involves Foreign Military Sales (FMS) to Saudi Arabia, and work is expected to be completed by April 30, 2024. FMS funds in the amount of $27,040,000 are being obligated at the time of award. Total cumulative face value of the contract is $93,740,000. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity.
Braxton Technologies LLC, Colorado Springs, Colorado, has been awarded a $19,910,587 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract modification (P00014) to contract FA8806-19-C-0003 for support to the Schriever Air Force Base Infrastructure - Minimal Viable Product (MVP) effort. This modification provides for cross-domain solutions, design, integration and rapid delivery team services. Work will be performed in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and is expected to be completed April 30, 2021. Fiscal 2020 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $14,465,154 are being obligated at the time of award. The total cumulative face value of the contract is $80,366,105. Space and Missile Systems Center, Los Angeles Air Force Base, California, is the contracting activity.
*Small Business
**Small Disadvantaged Business in Historically Underutilized Business Zone
https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Contracts/Contract/Article/2222335/source/GovDelivery/
September 22, 2021 | International, Naval
Navy leaders are concerned about increased Russian submarine activity in the North Atlantic and Chinese submarine activity in the Pacific. The U.S. homeland is no longer a sanctuary from such threats, they warn.
September 23, 2020 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security, Other Defence
Mark Gunzinger Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. John Hyten recently announced a new U.S. Department of Defense joint war-fighting concept will summarize capabilities needed for future all-domain operations and eliminate artificial lines on the battlefield used to deconflict U.S. operations in the past. Hyten also noted the concept will seamlessly integrate “fires from all domains, including space and cyber,” to overwhelm an enemy. While these aspirations are laudable, there are indications the concept could fall short of what is needed to inform cross-service trade-offs that must be made in an era of flat or declining defense budgets. The DoD creates operating concepts to define preferred approaches to perform specific missions or execute a campaign to defeat an enemy. They also provide a foundation for the services to assess new technologies, force alternatives and resource priorities. Said another way, they are the tissue that connects top-level National Defense Strategy guidance to actual plans and programs. While a joint all-domain war-fighting concept is urgently needed, Hyten has not made it clear the one in development will lead to trade-offs that maximize the DoD's war-fighting potential. For instance, Hyten has said it will call for every service to conduct long-range strikes: “A naval force can defend itself or strike deep. An air force can defend itself or strike deep. The Marines can defend itself or strike deep. ... Everybody.” This could mean the concept will support a degree of redundancy across the services that has never existed. Setting aside tough trade-offs that eliminate excessively redundant programs will waste defense dollars and reduce capabilities available to U.S. commanders. More specifically, the concept might endorse the Army's plan to buy 1,000-mile-plus, surface-to-surface missiles that cost millions of dollars each. Doing so would ignore analyses that have determined using large numbers of these weapons would be far more expensive than employing bombers that can strike any target on the planet for a fraction of the cost, then regenerate and fly more sorties. Furthermore, the Army's long-range missile investments could be at the expense of its ability to defend U.S. theater air bases against missile attacks. Not only has air base missile defense long been an Army mission — it has long neglected and underfunded the mission. Chinese or Russian strikes against under-defended air bases could cripple the United States' primary combat sortie-generation operations. If the concept does not consider these kinds of trade-offs, it could be due to the approach used to create it. The Joint Staff's doctrine development process is notorious for seeking consensus instead of making cross-service trade-offs necessary to maximize the DoD's war-fighting potential. Assuring bureaucratic service equities versus optimizing combat lethality can lead to operating concepts that fail to create clear priorities or — worse yet — declare everything a priority. If everything is a priority, then nothing is a priority. Moreover, each service was asked to develop a subordinate concept that will be integrated into the whole. This piece-part approach could result in the services ladening their subordinate concepts with their own equities instead of working together to develop the most effective, decisive options. In short, a bottom-up, consensus-driven concept for all-domain warfare would not be an effective baseline to compare the DoD's force structure and capability alternatives. Three things could help to avoid this mistake. First, the secretary of defense should approve a new all-domain war-fighting concept, and the secretary's staff should be deeply involved in its development. Some say the latter is inappropriate, believing the military, not DoD civilians, should create war-fighting concepts. However, it is entirely appropriate for the secretary's staff to be part of the concept's creation if its purpose is to shape the DoD's plans and programs. Second, DoD leaders should rigorously examine the services' existing roles and missions during the concept's development, and make changes to reduce excessively redundant responsibilities, forces and capabilities. This may need to be driven by congressional language. Finally, the DoD should jettison the word “joint” as part of the concept's title. This would stress the concept is focused on integrating operations across all domains, not on the services that provide forces to combatant commanders. The point is not for all to participate, but instead for all options to be considered, and those that provide best combat value be prioritized. Otherwise, it becomes a case analogous to all the kids chasing a soccer ball. The 2018 National Defense Strategy was the beginning of the effort to shift the DoD toward preparing for peer conflict. Given that dollars and time are short, the DoD must now get a concept for all-domain warfare right. Like the National Defense Strategy, the concept must be top-down driven, not a bottom-up, consensus-driven product that fails to make trade-offs across the services and provides a rationale that supports what each service desires to buy. Rather, its ultimate objective should be to seek best-value capabilities and expand theater commander options to defeat peer adversaries. https://www.defensenews.com/opinion/commentary/2020/09/22/a-consensus-driven-joint-concept-for-all-domain-warfare-will-fall-short/
October 15, 2019 | International, Aerospace
Graham Warwick Sikorsky is emphasizing growth capability to stay ahead of evolving threats as it unveils its offering in the U.S. Army's Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA) competition, the Raider-X. The coaxial rigid-rotor compound helicopter is a development of the S-97 Raider prototype now in flight testing. The Raider-X is about 20% larger, with a 14,000-lb. gross weight compared with 11,000 lb. for the S-97, and a 39-ft. rotor diameter compared with 34 ft. for the Raider. The Army requires a rotor diameter of no more than 40 ft. so that FARA can fly between buildings in urban combat. The Raider-X will exceed the FARA's threshold maximum speed of 180 kt. Sikorsky is not saying how fast it will fly, but notes the S-97 has reached 215 kt., and 207 kt. in level flight—exceeding the 205 kt. target in the Army's initial capability document, says Tim Malia, director of Future Vertical Lift - Light. The Army subsequently reduced the threshold maximum speed to enable a wider competition for the FARA program. But Malia says the greater speed and payload capability of Sikorsky's X2 coaxial rigid-rotor compound configuration compared with a conventional helicopter provides growth capacity. “We looked at a single main rotor helicopter for FARA, but it would be minimally compliant in the early 2020s. We need to be able to stay ahead of the threat into the 2030s and 2040s,” he says. Bell is proposing a winged, single-main-rotor helicopter for FARA, while AVX Aircraft is offering a coaxial-rotor, ducted-fan compound. Boeing and Karem Aircraft have yet to unveil their concepts. “Single main rotor will not be able to keep up. It's already tapped out meeting the minimal FARA requirements. It does not have the ability to grow capability over time,” Malia says. “We didn't want to pull out all the stops to be minimally compliant when we had X2 able to carry more payload and go faster.” The Raider-X has four-blade rotors and a pusher propulsor. The coaxial rotors generate lift only on the advancing sides, eliminating retreating-blade stall and enabling higher speed. At high speed, 90% of the engine power goes to the propulsor, says Bill Fell, senior experimental test pilot. The propulsor is declutched at low speed to reduce noise. The Raider-X closely resembles the S-97 prototype, with side-by-side seating. Compared with tandem seating, this improves crew coordination and situational awareness, Malia says. “And we can do it aerodynamically because of the robust performance inherent in X2. We are not trying to get out every last ounce of drag.” Behind the cockpit is a large internal weapons bay. Internal carriage of missiles and unmanned aircraft—which the Army calls air-launched effects (ALE)—is a FARA requirement, but Malia says the cabin-like volume of Raider-X's bay provides growth space for future, larger systems. “The minimum threshold works now, but what if in 2030 there is a new ALE that can be decisive, but can't be carried?” he asks. The Raider-X is powered by a single 3,000-shp-class General Electric T901 turboshaft—government-furnished equipment to all FARA bidders. “We do not have an additional engine to increase speed,” Malia says, referring to the supplemental power unit in Bell's 360 Invictus. This augments power from the single T901 to give the single-main-rotor, tandem-seat Invictus a 185-kt. maximum speed. “We use the power available and have a solid design built around it,” he says. “The T901 provides speeds out of the chute in excess of requirements and, as it improves, we can take direct benefit. We have a growth path to additional speed and payload as the T901 power increases.” Sikorsky is using the industry-funded S-97 prototype to reduce risk for its FARA bid, conducting flight testing to validate design models and optimize the Raider-X. This includes flying new rotor blades designed to reduce drag and vibration. “We are getting exactly the results the models said,” Malia says. With two rotor systems and a propulsor, Sikorsky is paying close attention to the Raider-X's cost. “We have done a complete affordability analysis and design to cost. We are extremely confident we will come in under the cost goal,” he says. Several divisions of parent company Lockheed Martin are part of Sikorsky's FARA team, Malia says, including Aeronautics, Missiles and Fire Control and Rotary and Mission Systems. Swift Engineering will build the airframe if Sikorsky wins one of two FARA competitive prototype contracts scheduled to be awarded in March 2020. The Army flyoff is planned for 2023, with the first unit to be equipped by 2028. “There is a critical cap in vertical lift, in attack/reconnaissance, and that gap is really impactful to the Army in the 2020s, ‘30s, ‘40s, even ‘50s. So there is a need for a long-term solution,” Malia says. “The threat is projected to evolve rapidly, so we require significant capability growth on our side to stay ahead. Raider-X can provide an asymmetric advantage in the 2030s-50s.” https://aviationweek.com/defense/sikorsky-unveils-raider-x-proposal-fara-armed-scout