March 6, 2020 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security

Contract Awards by US Department of Defense - March 05, 2020

AIR FORCE

Elbit Systems of America Inc., Fort Worth, Texas, has been awarded a $471,634,000 ceiling firm-fixed-price contract for F-16 sustainment. This contract provides for a pylon-based infrared missile warning system for the F-16 platform. Work will be performed in Fort Worth, Texas, and is expected to be complete by February 2030. This award is the result of a competitive acquisition and one offer was received. National Guard and Reserve Equipment Account funds in the amount of $17,050,000 are being obligated at the time of award. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Hill Air Force Base, Utah, is the contracting activity (FA8232-20-D-0003). (Awarded Feb. 28, 2020)

Abacus Technology Corp., Chevy Chase, Maryland, has been awarded a $21,873,527 firm-fixed-price contract for support services. This contract provides for information technology sustainment support services at several locations. Work will be performed at Al Udeid Air Base (AB), Qatar; Al Dhafra AB, United Arab Emirates; and Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina. Work is expected to be complete by March 2025. This contract is the result of a set-aside for small business and five offers were received. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $3,767,312 are being obligated at the time of award. Headquarters Air Combat Command, Acquisition Management and Integration Center, Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia, is the contracting activity (FA4890-19-R-A018).

Lockheed Martin Aeronautics, Marietta, Georgia, has been awarded a $16,249,208 firm-fixed-price contract for the C-130J center wing box replacement program. This contract provides for 14 enhanced center wing boxes and 14 component kits. Work will be performed in Marietta, Georgia, and is expected to be complete by March 30, 2027. This award is the result of a sole-source acquisition. Fiscal 2019 procurement funds in the amount of $16,249,208 are being obligated at time of award. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, is the contracting activity (FA8504-20-C-0002).

AAI Corp., Hunt Valley, Maryland, has been awarded a $15,558,008 firm-fixed-price modification (P00003) to a previously awarded contract FA4890-19-C-0002 for the exercise of Option Period Two. This modification provides for force-protection efforts at airfields located within the Air Force Central Command's area of responsibility, including a non-developmental contractor-owned and contractor-operated unmanned aerial system, intelligence, reconnaissance and surveillance solution to perform operational, engineering, and sustainment efforts necessary to effectively execute pre-deployment, deployment operations, post-deployment, and engineering support activities. Work will be performed at Bagram and Kandahar Airfields, Afghanistan, and is expected to be complete by March 2021. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance funds in the full amount are being obligated at the time of award. This modification brings the total cumulative face value of the contract to $114,064,396. Headquarters Air Combat Command, Acquisition Management and Integration Center, Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia, is the contracting activity.

NAVY

Sabel Systems Technology Solutions LLC,* Gainesville, Virginia (M95494-20-D-1001); Targeted Approach LLC,* Alexandria, Virginia (M95494-20-D-1002); CANA LLC,* doing business as CANA Advisors, Gainesville, Virginia (M95494-20-D-1003); Knowledge Management Inc.,* Tyngsboro, Massachusetts (M95494-20-D-1004); and Arrow Alliance Industries LLC,* Spotsylvania, Virginia (M95494-20-D-1005), are awarded $94,184,597 a hybrid firm-fixed-price and cost only indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, multiple award contract (IDIQ-MAC) to provide professional support services to the Assistant Deputy Commandant, Installations and Logistics, Logistics Plans, Policies and Strategic Mobility Division. Work will be performed in Washington, District of Columbia. The IDIQ-MACs have a five year ordering period with a shared maximum value of $94,184,597. These businesses will have the opportunity to compete for individual task orders. Work is expected to be completed March 2025. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance (Marine Corps) funds in the amount of $5,000 ($25,000 total) is being obligated under each contract's initial task order to fund the minimum guarantee and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. These contracts were competitively solicited via Federal Business Opportunities and 18 proposals were received. The Marine Corps Installations Command, Arlington, Virginia, is the contracting activity.

I.E. Pacific Inc.,* Escondido, California, is awarded $19,886,020 for a firm-fixed-price task order (N62473-20-F-4330) under a multiple award construction contract for the repair and upgrade of Bachelor's Enlisted Quarters Buildings 5698 and 5697 at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, California. The work to be performed includes the installation of new heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems and provides a new transformer for electrical requirements, the replacement of switchgear and a cast-in-place concrete pad as well as hazardous materials abatement and remediation. The task order also contains one unexercised option, which if exercised would increase cumulative task order value to $19,892,020. Work will be performed in San Diego, California, and is expected to be completed by May 2023. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance (Marine Corps) contract funds in the amount of $19,886,020 are obligated on this award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Four proposals were received for this task order. Naval Facilities Engineering Command Southwest, San Diego, California, is the contracting activity (N62473-17-D-4628).

Engility Corp., a SAIC company, Andover, Maine, is awarded an $8,484,786 modification (P00009) to a previously awarded cost-plus-fixed-fee, cost-reimbursable delivery order (N68936-19-F-0297) against a General Services Administration One Acquisition Solution for integrated services multiple award contract. Work will be performed in Point Mugu, California (90.6%); China Lake, California (1.9%); Fallon, Nevada (1.6%); Whidbey Island, Washington (0.94%); Washington, District of Columbia (0.94%); Laurel, Maryland (0.63%); Irvine, California (0.31%); Las Vegas, Nevada (0.31%); and various locations outside the continental U.S. (1.3%). This modification exercises the option for systems engineering analysis, test and evaluation engineering, interoperability testing and analysis, threat analysis, and tactics development for the AN/ALQ-99 Next Generation jammer pod, USQ-113 communications system jammer, ALQ-218 receiver, ALQ-227 communication countermeasures set, and Intrepid Tiger Pod for the EA-6B and EA-18G aircraft. Work is expected to be completed by March 2021. Fiscal 2020 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $400,000; and Foreign Military Sales funds in the amount of $150,000 will be obligated at the time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the fiscal year. The Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division, Point Mugu, California, is the contracting activity.

Raytheon BBN Technologies Corp., Arlington, Virginia, is awarded a $7,460,890 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract to develop concepts for a heterogeneous underwater network. Work will be performed at contractor facilities in California (5%); Massachusetts (75%); Rhode Island (5%); Virginia (10%); and government test facilities (5%). The work to be performed includes dynamically reconfigurable architecture that leverages advancement in undersea communications and autonomous ocean systems and demonstrate utility at sea with advanced prototypes. The period of performance of the base award is from March 5, 2020, through May 4, 2021. This 15-month contract includes two options which, if exercised, would bring the potential value of this contract to an estimated $37,399,156. The period of performance of the base award is from March 5, 2020, through May 4, 2021. If both options are exercised, the period of performance would extend through Feb. 4, 2024. Funds in the amount of $499,663 will be obligated at the time of award. The type of funding to be obligated will be research, development, test and evaluation (Department of Defense). This contract was competitively procured via a Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency broad agency announcement solicitation published on the Federal Business Opportunities website. Seven proposals were received and three were selected for award. The Naval Information Warfare Center Pacific, San Diego, California, is the contracting activity (N66001-20-C-4006).

ARMY

Adirondack Construction,* Glens Falls, New York (W911PT-20-D-0002); Benaka Inc.,* New Brunswick, New Jersey (W911PT-20-D-0003); Black Horse Group LLC,* Watertown, New York (W911PT-20-D-0004); Burgos Group LLC,* Medford, New Jersey (W911PT-20-D-0005); Call Associates Inc.,* Buffalo, New York (W911PT-20-D-0006); Enfield Enterprises Inc.,* Springfield, Massachusetts (W911PT-20-D-0007); Intercontinental Construction Contracting Inc.,* Passaic, New Jersey (W911PT-20-D-0008); Oddo Construction Services LLC,* East Amherst, New York (W911PT-20-D-0009); Relyant Global LLC,* Maryville, Tennessee (W911PT-20-D-0010); SAF Inc.,* Akron, Ohio (W911PT-20-D-0011); Tantara Associates Corp.,* Worcester, Massachusetts (W911PT-20-D-0012); Vedant Construction Inc.,* Dracut, Massachusetts (W911PT-20-D-0013); Iron Sword Enterprises LLC,* Wallkill, New York (W911PT-20-D-0014); Jjbrun JV LLC,* San Antonio, Texas (W911PT-20-D-0015); Mid-State Industries Ltd.,* Schenectady, New York (W911PT-20-D-0016); and Raad Construction Group LLC,* Red Bank, New Jersey (W911PT-20-D-0017), will compete for each order of the $55,173,306 firm-fixed-price contract for minor construction at Watervliet Arsenal, New York. 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 March 2, 2025. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Detroit Arsenal, Michigan, is the contracting activity.

Goodwill Industries of South Florida Inc., Miami, Florida, was awarded an $11,099,962 firm-fixed-price contract for Advanced Combat Pants. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work will be performed in Miami, Florida, with an estimated completion date of Aug. 31, 2021. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance, Army funds in the amount of $11,099,962 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, is the contracting activity (W911QY-20-C-0024).

Tribalco LLC,* Bethesda, Maryland, was awarded an $8,863,183 modification (P00012) to contract W912DY-16-D-0021 to provide support and services to manage the complete life cycle of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers radio communications mission. Bids were solicited via the internet with five received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of March 12, 2021. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Huntsville, Alabama, is the contracting activity.

MISSILE DEFENSE AGENCY

Lockheed Martin Rotary and Mission Systems, Moorestown, New Jersey, has been awarded a $25,900,000 cost-plus-fixed-fee modification (P00357) under contract HQ0276-10-C-0001. This modification increases the total cumulative contract value by $25,900,000 from $3,184,013,135 to $3,209,913,135. Under this modification, the contractor will perform engineering, design support services necessary for continuation of planning efforts and risk reduction efforts required to maintain the initial operational capability schedule to support the Aegis Ashore Japan Foreign Military Sales Main Case. The work will be performed in Moorestown, New Jersey, with an expected completion date of July 31, 2020. Funds from the government of Japan in the amount of $25,900,000 are being obligated at the time of award. This contract modification is the result of a sole-source acquisition. The Missile Defense Agency, Dahlgren, Virginia, is the contracting activity.

*Small business

https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Contracts/Contract/Article/2103659/source/GovDelivery/

On the same subject

January 28, 2019 | International, Other Defence

What the Pentagon could learn from unicorns
By: Jill Aitoro WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif. — The promise of Silicon Valley is built on unicorns — startup companies valued at more than $1 billion. They're rare. Hence the name. But the payoff is big enough that venture capitalists are willing to funnel a lot of money by way of multiple rounds of funding toward unproven technologies, to accept significant risk, in hopes they'll be in on the ground floor of the next great discovery. Compare that to Washington, where in the words of Defense Innovation Board Executive Director Josh Marcuse: “We put forward a defense program full of things that we know aren't going to work, but no one is willing to say so.” For more than three years the Pentagon has attempted to draw upon the Silicon Valley culture of innovation, to buy instead of build, to take advantage of commercial technology. But success has been spotty at best — with SpaceX and Palantir rather exclusively held up as the two “unicorns” catering to the military. But while many procurement reformists will point to burdensome regulations as the problem, innovation leaders from both the Department of Defense and Silicon Valley companies agreed during a November roundtable hosted by Defense News that no laws currently in place prevent smart buying by the government. Instead, those same innovation leader say that what causes the greatest minds in the tech community to walk away from the largest buyer in the world is a slow, arduous process combined with a serious lack of understanding within the Pentagon for how software is designed. “We basically created an innovation program where you have to have Howard Hughes-style entrepreneurship to do anything that matters,” said Trae Stephens, partner at San Francisco-based venture capital firm Founders Fund and co-founder of Silicon Vally tech firm Anduril. To buy or to build Since the 1990s, defense acquisition regulations have clearly stated that commercial preference should be given in every contracting decision. Reinforcing that point, the Office of the Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics released a guidebook for acquiring commercial items in January 2018, stating: “The time and cost to develop and field new capabilities, the technological advances made by near peer competitors and the rapid pace of innovation by private industry have demonstrated the need to access the best technology — now.” And yet, such earnest support of commercial tech does not regularly filter to the acquisition community. Agencies over-specify requirements, “so now if the company wants to do business with [the Pentagon], they have to modify their product,” Stephens said. “All you have to do is say, ‘Yes, we have validated that there is no commercial product that meets our requirements,' and that's it.” The Pentagon does not, however, do the opposite — adapt requirements for a particular product. “There are a lot of things that we just have to build. We're going to build aircraft carriers, we're going to build fighter planes,” Stephens added. “And then there's the thing that we're going to buy — the products. These should be entirely separate conversations.” That over-specification runs counter to the “agile” development method typically favored by the tech community, which is built on a premise of short sprints that factor into evolving requirements. Agile can't exist without a degree of flexibility, ensuring, too, that if you fail, you fail fast. Contrast that with the traditional waterfall approach that predefines the various phases of development to ensure, in theory, a predictable outcome. Full article: https://www.defensenews.com/smr/cultural-clash/2019/01/28/what-the-pentagon-could-learn-from-unicorns
September 9, 2020 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security

La cellule de soutien aux industries de défense toujours active
Mise en place dès mars dernier, la cellule de soutien de la DGA (Direction générale de l'armement) à la base industrielle et technologique de défense (BITD) lancée à l'initiative du ministère des Armées est toujours mobilisée pour les entreprises qui en ont besoin, rappelle Air & Cosmos. Cette « task force » a déjà réussi à trouver des solutions pour 47 entreprises dont l'activité est stratégique ou critique pour la BITD française. Cela représente pratiquement la moitié « des 92 chantiers ouverts » et d'autres s'annoncent pour l'automne. « Une vague va arriver avec l'automne mais nous ne connaissons pas son ampleur. Certaines sociétés ne le savent peut être pas elles-mêmes et toute la difficulté sera de détecter les problèmes et d'utiliser au mieux les moyens dont nous disposons et dans des délais très contraints », indique l'ingénieur général Vincent Imbert qui dirige cette cellule. Air & Cosmos du 9 septembre 2020
August 24, 2020 | International, Aerospace, C4ISR, Security

FAA issues guide to Tactical BVLOS waivers to assist first responders with emergency drone operations
To support the approval of “Tactical Beyond Visual Line of Sight” operations, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has issued a guide to TBVLOS waivers, aimed at first responders with emergency drone operations. The FAA introduced TBVLOS to support drone operations which take place away from busy locations and where the safety case can be supported by factors such as a particular location or application. In a time of extreme emergencies to safeguard human life, first responders require the capability to operate their unmanned aircraft (UAS) beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) to assess the operational environment such as a fire scene at a large structural fire, to conduct an aerial search on a large roof area for a burglary in progress, or to fly over a heavily forested area to look for a missing person (see diagram below for a visual perception). To support public UAS operators acting in an active first responder capacity, the FAA may approve “First Responder Tactical Beyond Visual Line of Sight” (TBVLOS) waivers to 14 CFR 91.113(b). These temporary BVLOS flights are flown to both reduce risk to first responders and to ensure the safety of the communities they serve. The FAA will issue in advance, upon receipt of a complete and accurate application, a 14 CFR 91.113(b) waiver that will allow temporary UAS TBVLOS operations within specific conditions and requirements. These requirements are listed in the guidance document, along with the application and approval process. The guide can be accessed here: https://www.faa.gov/uas/public_safety_gov/public_safety_toolkit/media/TBVLOS_Waiver_Final.pdf For more information visit: www.faa.gov/uas https://www.unmannedairspace.info/latest-news-and-information/faa-issues-guide-to-tactical-bvlos-waivers-to-assist-first-responders-with-emergency-drone-operations/

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