News

DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY United Technologies Corp., East Hartford, Connecticut, has been awarded a maximum $2,460,000,000 modification (P00024) exercising the five-year option period of a five-year base contract (SPE4AX-15-D-9436), with one five-year option period for the Defense Logistics Agency to supply the Air Force depot level repairables and consumable parts. The modification brings the total cumulative face value of the contract to $4,930,000,000 from $2,460,000,000. This is a fixed-price prospective redetermination, multiple-year requirements contract. The location of performance is Connecticut, with a Sept. 26, 2023, performance completion date. Using military service is Air Force. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2018 through 2023 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Aviation, Richmond, Virginia. American Purchasing Services LLC, doing business as American Medical Depot, Miramar, Florida, has been awarded a maximum $49,500,000 fixed-price with economic-price-adjustment, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for hospital equipment and accessories. This was a competitive acquisition with 52 responses received. This is a five-year contract with no option periods. Location of performance is Florida, with a Sept. 19, 2023, performance completion date. Using military services are Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2018 through 2023 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (SPE2DH-18-D-0012). Accent Controls Inc.,* Kansas City, Missouri, has been awarded a maximum $7,694,857 modification (P00055) exercising the fourth one-year option period of a one-year base contract (SP3300-14-C-5005), with four one-year option periods for warehousing and distribution support services. This is a fixed-price incentive firm, cost-reimbursement contract. This was a small business set-aside acquisition with five offers received. Locations of performance are Missouri and Florida, with a Sept. 30, 2019, performance completion date. Using customer is Defense Logistics Agency. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2018 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Distribution, New Cumberland, Pennsylvania. ARMY Hensel Phelps Construction Co., Austin, Texas, was awarded a $143,158,000 firm-fixed-price contract for Bureau of Engraving and Printing Western Currency facility expansion project. Bids were solicited via the internet with two received. Work will be performed in Fort Worth, Texas, with an estimated completion date of Jan. 11, 2022. Fiscal 2018 non-appropriated funds in the amount of $143,158,000 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Fort Worth, Texas, is the contracting activity (W9126G-18-C-0061). Colt's Manufacturing Co. LLC, West Hartford, Connecticut, was awarded a $57,722,819 firm-fixed-price Foreign Military Sales (Jordan, Morocco, Afghanistan, Senegal, Tunisia and Pakistan) contract for procurement of up to 10,000 additional M4 and M4A1 5.56mm carbine rifles. One bid was solicited with one bid received. Work will be performed in West Hartford, Connecticut, with an estimated completion date of Sept. 20, 2019. Fiscal 2018 foreign military sales funds in the amount of $57,722,819 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Warren, Michigan, is the contracting activity (W56HZV-18-F-0115). J. Kokolakis Contracting Inc., Bohemia, New York, was awarded a $52,494,000 firm-fixed-price contract for renovation of Grant Barracks building. Bids were solicited via the internet with two received. Work will be performed in West Point, New York, with an estimated completion date of Sept. 30, 2019. Fiscal 2018 military construction funds in the amount of $52,494,000 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New York, New York, is the contracting activity (W912DS-18-C-0015). AECOM Energy & Construction Inc., Greenwood Village, Colorado, was awarded a $40,648,775 modification (P00005) to contract W912P5-17-C-0007 for lock chamber replacement, foundation preparation for both the land wall and river wall, and construction of the upstream river wall. Work will be performed in Chattanooga, Tennessee, with an estimated completion date of Jan. 1, 2020. Fiscal 2018 inland waterway trust funding and civil works funds in the amount of $40,648,775 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Nashville, Tennessee, is the contracting activity. Raytheon/Lockheed Martin Javelin JV, Tucson, Arizona, was awarded a $27,595,202 modification (P00119) to Foreign Military Sales (Australia, Estonia, Lithuania, Turkey, Taiwan and Ukraine) contract W31P4Q-13-C-0129 for Javelin weapons system full-rate production. Work will be performed in Tucson, Arizona, with an estimated completion date of Aug. 31, 2021. Fiscal 2018 other procurement, Army funds in the amount of $27,595,202 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity. R8I Cabrera Remediation and Construction LLC,* Elizabeth, Colorado, was awarded a $25,000,000 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for labor, equipment, operators, supervision, supplies, materials and incidentals necessary in providing continued support of environmental remediation program. Bids were solicited via the internet with six received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Sept. 19, 2023. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Louis, Missouri, is the contracting activity (W912P9-18-D-0023). Weeks Marine Inc., Covington, Louisiana, was awarded a $19,884,400 firm-fixed-price contract for maintenance pipeline dredging. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work will be performed in Houston, Texas, with an estimated completion date of July, 7, 2019. Fiscal 2014 and 2018 operations and maintenance Army; and general construction funds in the combined amount of $19,884,400 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Fort Worth, Texas, is the contracting activity (W9126G-18-C-0073). Bering Straits Technical Services LLC, Anchorage, Alaska, was awarded a $13,335,173 firm-fixed-price contract for operations, maintenance, and sustainment of training areas. Bids were solicited via the internet with four received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Sept. 19, 2022. 413th Combat Support Battalion, Fort Wainwright, Alaska, is the contracting activity (W912D0-18-D-0008). Cray Inc., Seattle, Washington, was awarded a $12,500,000 firm-fixed-price contract to increase the processing capability of the current Cray XC 40 High Performance Supercomputer and purchase of 2083 additional nodes compatible with the existing system architecture. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work will be performed in Vicksburg, Mississippi, with an estimated completion date of Oct. 31, 2018. Fiscal 2018 other procurement, Army funds in the amount of $12,500,000 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Vicksburg, Mississippi, is the contracting activity (W912HZ-18-C-0027). KZF Design Inc.,* Cincinnati, Ohio, was awarded a $10,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract for architect-engineering services. Bids were solicited via the internet with 23 received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Sept. 19, 2023. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Norfolk, Virginia, is the contracting activity (W91236-18-D-0009). Messer Construction Co., Dayton, Ohio, was awarded an $8,650,000 firm-fixed-price contract for design and replacement of a process cooling tower (Building 18 Complex). Bids were solicited via the internet with two received. Work will be performed in Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, with an estimated completion date of June 30, 2020. Fiscal 2017 and 2018 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $8,650,000 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Louisville, Kentucky, is the contracting activity (W912QR-18-C-0032). NAVY Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., a Lockheed Martin Co., Stratford, Connecticut, is awarded $58,395,297 for firm-fixed-price delivery order N0001918F0567 against a previously issued basic ordering agreement (N00019-14-G-0004). This delivery order provides for the procurement of 866 interim spare parts necessary to support the repair and maintenance of CH-53K low-rate initial production, Lot 2 configuration aircraft. Work will be performed in Stratford, Connecticut (26 percent); Longueuil, Quebec, Canada (10 percent); Redmond, Washington (9 percent); Cudahy, Wisconsin (5 percent); various locations within the continental U.S. (42 percent); and various locations outside the continental U.S. (8 percent), and is expected to be completed in January 2021. Fiscal 2018 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $58,395,297 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. The Boeing Co., St. Louis, Missouri, is awarded a $40,323,606 modification to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract (N00019-17-C-0003) for the procurement of aircraft armament equipment in support of 12 F/A-18E/F and 14 EA-18G Lot 40 and 41 aircraft for the Navy. Work will be performed in Meza, Arizona (26 percent); St. Louis, Missouri (20 percent); Grand Rapids, Michigan (15 percent); El Segundo, California (11 percent); Grove, Oklahoma (6 percent); Minneapolis, Minnesota (4 percent); Placentia, California (4 percent); and various locations within the continental U.S. (14 percent), and is expected to be completed in November 2022. Fiscal 2016 and 2017 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $40,323,606 are obligated at time of award, $18,258,354 of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. Summit Technologies Inc., Winter Park, Florida (N00189-18-D-Z075); Analytic Services Inc., Falls Church, Virginia (N00189-18-D-Z076); The Tauri Group, Alexandria, Virginia (N00189-18-D-Z077); Information International Associates, Oak Ridge, Tennessee (N00189-18-D-Z078); and Battelle Memorial Institute, Columbus, Ohio (N00189-18-D-Z079), are awarded a combined estimated $27,866,679 multiple award of cost-plus-fixed-fee, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contracts that will include terms and conditions for the placement of both cost-plus-fixed-fee and firm-fixed-price task orders to provide professional services in the areas of chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear defense and countering weapons of mass destruction operational and risk analysis. The contracts will run concurrently and will include a 60-month base ordering period. Work will be performed at various contractor locations throughout the U.S. (85 percent) and percentage of work at each of those locations cannot be determined at this time. Work will also be performed at government facilities in Arlington, Virginia (15 percent). The base ordering period of the contract is expected to be completed by September 2023. Fiscal 2018 research, development, test, and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $50,000 will be obligated ($10,000 on each of the five contracts to fund the contracts' minimum amounts), and funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured for the award of multiple contracts pursuant to the authority set forth in Federal Acquisition Regulation 16.504. The requirement was solicited through the Federal Business Opportunities website, with five offers received. Naval Supply Systems Command Fleet Logistics Center Norfolk, Contracting Department Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is the contracting activity. L-3 Communications EOTech Inc., Ann Arbor, Michigan, is awarded a $23,637,320 firm-fixed-price, indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract for the procurement of Miniature Aiming System – Day Optics close quarter combat sights and clip-on magnifiers in support of U.S. Special Operations Command. Work will be performed in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and is expected to be completed by September 2028. Fiscal 2018 procurement (Defense-wide) funding in the amount of $308,570 will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured pursuant of 10 U.S. Code 2304(a). This contract was competitively procured via the Federal Business Opportunities website, with four offers received. The Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division, Crane, Indiana, is the contracting activity (N00164-18-D-JQ26). TFS-APTIM JV,* Wasilla, Alaska, is awarded a $21,445,996 firm-fixed-price contract for construction of a fuel truck offload facility at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam. The basic project components include the fuel truck offload facility and associated piping and equipment. Additional supporting infrastructure includes a building for a generator and electrical service, petroleum, oil, and lubricants fuel truck parking, and site improvements. Work will be performed in Yigo, Guam, and is expected to be completed by December 2019. Fiscal 2018 military construction (Defense-wide) contract funds in the amount of $21,445,996 are obligated on this award, of which $3,696,512 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the Navy Electronic Commerce Online website, with one proposal received. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Marianas, Guam, is the contracting activity (N40192-18-C-1300). Rolls-Royce Corp., Indianapolis, Indiana, is awarded a not-to-exceed $17,599,557 for modification P00008 to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract (N00019-15-D-0033). This modification exercises an option to procure T56-A-427A engines, power section modules and reduction gearbox modules for the E-2D aircraft. Work will be performed in Indianapolis, Indiana, and is expected to be completed in September 2019. No funds will be obligated at time of award. Funds will be obligated on individual delivery orders as they are issued. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. Lockheed Martin Rotary and Mission Systems, Manassas, Virginia, is being awarded a $16,310,246 cost-plus-incentive-fee, firm-fixed-price contract for AN/BVY-1 Integrated Submarine Imaging System (ISIS) Technical Insertion 20-24 production and engineering services. The ISIS provides visual and other capabilities for Navy submarines. This contract includes options which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to $753,086,000. Work will be performed in Manassas, Virginia (66 percent); Chantilly, Virginia (18 percent); Marion, Massachusetts (10 percent); and Newport, Rhode Island (6 percent), and is expected to be completed by September 2028. Fiscal 2018 other procurement (Navy) funding in the amount of $250,000 will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the Federal Business Opportunities website, with one offer received. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity (N00024-18-C-6258). Coffman Specialties Inc., San Diego, California, is awarded $15,845,000 for firm-fixed-price task order N6247318F5362 under a previously awarded multiple award construction contract (N62473-15-D-2442) for airfield pavement repairs at March Air Reserve Base. The work to be performed provides for repairs to the portland concrete cement on Runway 14/32 Keel, Taxiway A and Taxiway C. The airfield areas must be repaired to facilitate use by currently assigned KC-135, C-17 and other transient aircraft. Adjacent asphalt concrete and airfield lighting may be impacted. Work will be performed in Moreno Valley, California, and is expected to be completed by October 2020. Fiscal 2018 operations and maintenance (Air Force Reserve) contract funds in the amount of $15,845,000 are obligated on this award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Three proposals were received for this task order. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Southwest, San Diego, California, is the contracting activity. General Dynamics Mission Systems, Pittsfield, Massachusetts, is awarded $12,880,531 for modification P00027 to a previously awarded cost-plus-incentive-fee, cost-plus-fixed-fee contract (N00030-16-C-0005), for sustainment of the U.S. and United Kingdom (UK) SSBN Fire Control System, the U.S. SSGN Attack Weapon Control System, including training and support equipment. Also included is the Missile Fire Control for the U.S. Columbia-class and UK Dreadnought-class Common Missile Compartment program development, through first unit UK production, and Strategic Weapon Interface Simulator. Work will be performed in Pittsfield Massachusetts (90.5 percent); Bremerton, Washington (3.6 percent); Kings Bay, Georgia (2.7 percent); Dahlgren, Virginia (1 percent); Cape Canaveral, Florida (0.9 percent); Portsmouth, Virginia (0.9 percent); and the United Kingdom (0.4 percent), with an expected completion date of Sept. 30, 2023. Fiscal 2018 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $2,944,140; United Kingdom funds in the amount of $1,015,493; and fiscal 2018 operations and maintenance (Navy) funds in the amount of $498,006 are being obligated on this award. Funds in the amount of $498,006 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Subject to the availability of funding, fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance (Navy) funds in the amount of $7,192,842; and United Kingdom funds in the amount of $1,230,050 will be obligated. Funds in the amount of $7,192,842 will expire at the end of fiscal 2019. Strategic Systems Programs, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity. FlightFab Inc.,* Baltimore, Maryland, is awarded a $12,620,604 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for the procurement of solid waste processing equipment for naval ships. This contract provides production, testing and delivery of solid waste processing equipment in the form of plastic shredders, metal glass shredders, large pulpers, small pulpers and control valves for small and large pulpers. Work will be performed in Baltimore, Maryland. This action will contain a five-year ordering period and is expected to be completed by September 2023. Fiscal 2018 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funding in the amount of $423,825 will be obligated immediately after contract award via the first delivery order and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the Federal Business Opportunities website, with two offers received. The Naval Surface Warfare Center Philadelphia Division, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is the contracting activity (N64498-18-D-4010). Alliant Techsystems Operations LLC, Northridge, California, is awarded a $12,072,734 ceiling-priced indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for the procurement of up to 60 Common Munitions Built-In Test Reprogramming Equipment test sets; up to 22 ADU-891(V)1/E adaptor units; up to one lot of spares; and up to two ADU-891(V)3/E adaptor units in support of the Navy, Air Force, and the governments of Morocco, Belgium, Australia, Japan, and Oman. Work will be performed in Northridge, California, and is expected to be completed in May 2020. Fiscal 2018 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy and Air Force); fiscal 2016 missile procurement (Air Force); fiscal 2018 operation and maintenance (Navy); fiscal 2018 other procurement (Navy); and fiscal 2016 weapons procurement (Navy), as well as foreign military sales funds in the amount of $10,021,938, will be obligated at time of award, $2,600,972 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 Warfare Center Weapons Division, China Lake, California, is the contracting activity (N6893618D0037). APTIM Federal Services Inc., Alexandria, Virginia, is awarded a $12,022,779 firm-fixed-price modification to previously awarded contract (N62473-17-D-0006) to increase the maximum dollar value of a firm-fixed-price contract task order for the Parcel G Radiological Characterization at Hunters Point Naval Shipyard. The work to be performed provides new data to replace suspect radiological removal action data used to support a radiological unrestricted release recommendation for the sanitary sewer and storm drain lines, and impacted former building sites in Parcel G. After award of this modification, the total cumulative task order value will be $18,395,960. Work will be performed in San Francisco, California, and is expected to be completed by February 2020. Fiscal 2018 base realignment and closure environmental, (Navy) contract funds in the amount of $12,022,779 are obligated on this award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Southwest, San Diego, California, is the contracting activity. Huntron Inc.,* Mill Creek, Washington, is awarded an $11,956,849 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite quantity contract for Model 32 test instruments, accessory kits and transit cases. Work will be performed in Mill Creek, Washington, and is expected to be completed by September 2023. Fiscal 2018 other procurement (Navy); fiscal 2018 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy); fiscal 2018 Navy working capital funding; fiscal 2018 operations and maintenance (Homeland Security/Coast Guard); and foreign military sales funding in the amount of $137,228 will be obligated at time of award, of which Navy working capital funding in the amount of $29,097 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured, in accordance with 10 U.S. Code 2304(c)(1) - only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements. The Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division Newport, Newport, Rhode Island, is the contracting activity (N66604-18-D-H800). Pacific Commercial Services LLC,* Kapolei, Hawaii, is awarded a maximum amount $10,000,000 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for all services necessary for the final treatment/disposal of hazardous waste in accordance with all local, state, and Federal regulations, to include Department of Defense (DOD) component directives within the Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) Pacific area of responsibility (AOR). The work to be performed provides for services that shall include all necessary personnel, including applicable subcontractors, transportation, packaging and equipment to remove and properly dispose of hazardous and non-hazardous wastes. The contractor is required to meet all Department of Transportation requirements to include packaging of the wastes. The contractor must also comply with all Occupational Safety and Health Administration and DOD safety regulations and procedures, including State of Hawaii regulations and procedures. No task orders are being issued at this time. Work will be performed at various Navy and Marine Corps facilities and other government facilities within the NAVFAC Pacific AOR, including, but not limited to Hawaii (75 percent); Guam (15 percent); and other DOD locations within the NAVFAC Pacific AOR (10 percent). The term of the contract is not to exceed 60 months with an expected completion date of September 2023. Fiscal 2018 operations and maintenance (Navy) contract funds in the amount of $5,000 are obligated on this award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Future task orders will be primarily funded by operations and maintenance (Navy) funds. This contract was competitively procured via the Federal Business Opportunities website, with one proposal received. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command Pacific, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, is the contracting activity (N62742-18-D-1801). Raytheon Co., El Segundo, California, is awarded a not-to-exceed $8,127,897 for a ceiling-priced, undefinitized contract action delivery order N00383-18-F-HA04 under previously awarded basic ordering agreement (N00383-15-G-003H) for the repair of 193 units across weapon repairable assemblies used in support of the F-18 active electronically scanned array radar system. Work will be performed in Forest, Mississippi, and will be completed by September 2019. Fiscal 2018 working capital funds (Navy) in the amount of $6,095,923 will be obligated at time of award, and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was a sole-source pursuant to the authority set forth in 10 U.S. Code 2304 (c)(1), in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1. The requirement was posted to the Federal Business Opportunities website and the Navy Electronic Commerce Online website, with one offer received. Naval Supply Systems Command Weapon Systems Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is the contracting activity. AIR FORCE Pacific Defense Solutions LLC, Kihei, Hawaii, has been awarded a $39,894,065 cost-reimbursement type contract for spacecraft object tracking and characterization capabilities. This contract award is the result of a competitive acquisition and five offers were received. Fiscal 2018 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $ 3,601,646 will be obligated at the time of award. Work will be performed in Kihei, Hawaii, and is expected to be completed December 2023. Air Force Research Laboratory, Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico is the contracting activity (FA9451-18-C-0035). The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory LLC, Laurel, Maryland, has been awarded a $23,848,171 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract with cost-plus-fixed-fee completion task order. The contractor will provide the technical and program support of Tactical Space and small satellite portfolio's core competencies and mission lifecycle to include support of the mission phases from concept through design, implementation, operations, and transition of space assets. Work will be performed in Laurel, Maryland, and is expected to be completed Sept. 29, 2023. Fiscal 2018 research and development funds in the amount of $500,000 are being obligated at time of award. This award is the result of a sole-source acquisition and one offer was received. Air Force Research Laboratory, Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico, is the contracting activity (FA9453-18-D-0018 TASK ORDER FA9453-18-F-0007). The Boeing Co., St. Louis, Missouri, has been awarded a $15,186,972 modification (P00042) to contract FA8634-16-C-2653 for APG-82 Radar Modernization Program test requirements document. This contract provides for test requirements documents that lay the foundation for organic depot repair. Work will be performed in St. Louis, and is expected to be completed by Dec. 31, 2020. Fiscal 2016 and 2017 procurement funds in the amount of $15,186,972 are being obligated at the time of award. Total cumulative face value of the contract is $1,363,368,877. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity. (Awarded Sept. 17, 2018) International Business Machines Corp., San Jose, California, has been awarded a $14,863,208 cost-reimbursable contract for NorthPole software/hardware. This contract provides for the study, design, development, implementation, test, integration, document and delivery of the software and hardware specification for NorthPole, the next generation neural inference machine. Work will be performed in San Jose, California, and is expected to be completed by June 20, 2019. This award is the result of a competitive acquisition, and two offers were received. Fiscal 2017 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $893,208; and fiscal 2018 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $13,970,000 are being obligated at the time of award. Air Force Research Laboratory Rome, New York, is the contracting activity (FA8750-18-C-0015). Honeywell International Inc., Phoenix, Arizona, has been awarded a $10,080,902 firm-fixed-price contract for Jet Fuel Starter repair components for the RC-135 aircraft. This contract provides the remaining stock of Jet Fuel Starter components necessary to sustain the RC-135 fleet through the year 2040. Work will be performed in Phoenix, Arizona, and is expected to be complete by Dec. 31, 2021. This award is the result of a sole-source acquisition. Fiscal 2018 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $10,080,902 are being obligated at the time of award. The 645th Aeronautical Systems Group, Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Dayton, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8620-18-C-4004). DEFENSE COMMISSARY AGENCY EMR Inc., Niceville, Florida, is awarded $15,990,000 for a firm-fixed-price contract for an addition/alteration to an existing commissary at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida. The contract is for a 539 calendar day period based on the issuance of the notice to proceed which is expected in November 2018. Offers were solicited via full and open competition, and three offers were received. The contracting activity is the Defense Commissary Agency, Enterprise Acquisition Division, Construction Design Branch, Joint Base San Antonio, Lackland, Texas (HDEC03-18-C-0003). MISSILE DEFENSE AGENCY L.C. Wright Inc.,* McLean, Virginia, is being awarded an $8,497,407 competitive firm-fixed-price contract with a two-year base value of $3,384,136 for Protocol Support. Protocol professionals provide support for the director and general officer/Senior Executive Service members that are geographically dispersed throughout the U.S. The work will be performed in the National Capital Region; Dahlgren, Virginia; Huntsville, Alabama; Fort Greely, Alaska; Vandenberg Air Force Base, California; Colorado Springs, Colorado; and other locations as directed, with an estimated completion date of October 2023. This contract was competitively procured via publication on the Federal Business Opportunities website with three proposals received. Fiscal 2018 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $223,000 are being obligated at time of award. The Missile Defense Agency, Huntsville, Alabama, is the contracting activity (HQ0147-18-R-0007). U.S. SPECIAL OPERATIONS COMMAND Hardwire LLC, Pocomoke City, Maryland, has been awarded an estimated $8,000,000 indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity, firm-fixed-price contract (H92403-18-D-0007) for the purchase of Special Operations Forces personal equipment advanced requirements (SPEAR) soft body armor ballistic inserts in support of U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) procurement division. Fiscal 2018 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $100,000 are being obligated at the time of award. The majority of work will be performed in Pocomoke City, and work is expected to be completed by September 2023. This contract was awarded through full and open competition with six proposals received. USSOCOM, Tampa, Florida, is the contracting activity. DEFENSE THREAT REDUCTION AGENCY Raytheon Technical Services Company LLC, Dulles, Virginia, has been awarded a $7,542,049 modification #17 to previously awarded contract HDTRA1-11-D-0007, Task Order 12 Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation Prevention Program on the Jordan Border Security Project. The modification brings the total cumulative face value of the contract to $58,317,910.57 from $50,775,861.57. Work will be performed in Jordan, with an expected completion date of Nov. 30, 2020. This contract involves fiscal 2018 Cooperative Threat Reduction funds in the amount of $2,675,182 are being obligated at time of award. The Defense Threat Reduction Agency, Fort Belvoir, Virginia, is the contracting activity. WASHINGTON HEADQUARTERS SERVICES DirectViz Solutions LLC, Chantilly, Virginia, is being awarded a $7,429,544 firm-fixed-price contract. This contract will to provide Joint Service Provider with technical, analytical, management, and professional support services for Identity Protection Management Services. Work will be performed at the Pentagon, Mark Center, and Crystal City, Virginia, with an expected completion date of Sept. 29, 2022. Fiscal 2018 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $7,429,544 are being obligated at time of award. This contract was competitively procured, with three proposals received. The Washington Headquarters Services, Acquisition Directorate, Arlington, Virginia, is the contracting activity (HQ0034-17-C-0093). *Small Business https://dod.defense.gov/News/Contracts/Contract-View/Article/1641072/source/GovDelivery/

By Canadian Press OTTAWA — The Canadian Press has learned the United States has backed down from its contentious Buy American demands for lucrative procurement projects in the renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement. Mexico and Canada are each taking credit for standing firm against the controversial U.S. position that would have effectively limited their respective countries' ability to bid on valuable American government infrastructure projects. Multiple sources, speaking on the condition of anonymity, cited the competing claims as one example of the animosity between Canada and Mexico that has arisen since Mexico reached its own NAFTA deal with the Trump administration last month. Canada and the United States are trying to renegotiate their portion of the three-country trade pact, but major sticking points such as dairy, dispute resolution and culture remain. Canada has credited Mexico with making significant concessions in its deal with the U.S. on automobiles and for permitting large wage increases for Mexican auto workers. But sources say Mexico has done much of the “heavy lifting” on getting the Americans to back down on its demand to limit the ability of Canadian and Mexican firms to bid on U.S. infrastructure projects, while seeking greater access for American firms to Mexican and Canadian government projects. https://ipolitics.ca/2018/09/19/u-s-buy-american-demand-gone-from-nafta-sources/

By: Aaron Mehta NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. – The Pentagon is preparing to press the defense industry to increase its cyber security, with Deputy Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan saying it will become a key measurement for how industry is judged by the department. “This is a public service announcement for those of you from industry, especially for those of you that are in the, I'll call it, higher tiers,” Shanahan told an audience at the annual Air Force Association conference Wednesday. “Cybersecurity is, you know, probably going to be what we call the ‘fourth critical measurement.' We've got quality, cost, schedule, but security is one of those measures that we need to hold people accountable for,” he said. “We're going to work with our industrial partners to help them be as accountable for security as they are for quality. And it shouldn't be that being secure comes with a big bill. It's just like we wouldn't pay extra for quality. We shouldn't pay extra for security.” The responsibilities of primes goes beyond just ensuring their own internal cyber security, in Shanahan's eye. The former Boeing executive laid down the gauntlet to the biggest industrial partners, saying flatly it is part of their job to make sure the lower-tier supplier are secure as well. “I'm a real strong believer that the Tier 1 and Tier 2 leadership has a responsibility to manage the supply chain. And that's where we have real gaps,” he said. “Security is the standard. It's the expectation. It's not something that's above and beyond what we've done before.” In recent years the Pentagon has been increasingly vocal about its concerns that lower-tier suppliers are not as secure digitally as they need to be; unsecured parts from those suppliers can then be incorporated into larger projects, potentially with vulnerabilities that would not be discovered until it is too late. To try and address that, the Pentagon has been looking at a plan to launch red team cyber attackson industrial partners, in which a cell would test vulnerabilities and try to penetrate the contractors' systems, in order to identify weaknesses. https://www.fifthdomain.com/digital-show-dailies/air-force-association/2018/09/19/shanahan-cyber-security-will-become-fourth-critical-measurement-for-industry

Air Force Busts Out Credit Cards To Buy High Tech Gear The Air Force can be an “angel investor” for some startups, said Will Roper, the service's top acquisition official. By PAUL MCLEARY WASHINGTON The Pentagon has been trying for years to replicate the speed of Silicon Valley-style startup culture, with only sporadic — and limited — success. But the Air Force says it's doubling down on the effort, and is looking to start using government credit cards to buy small amounts of gear from tech firms that don't have much interest in forming long-term relationships with the government. The Air Force can be an “angel investor” for some startups, said Will Roper, the service's top acquisition official (and former head of the Pentagon's Strategic Capabilities Office). “The benefit is huge because it finally pulls startups into orbits around our program offices,” Roper told reporters at the Air Force Association conference on Tuesday. “Even if round one of their product isn't ready, they're aware of us as an angel investor. We're not trying to have them work for the government. We just want their products to make sense for us.” Roper is eyeing a series of startup days that will be held across the Air Force, beginning with an initiative between the Air Force Research Laboratory and AFWERX to knock out fifty contracts in fifty hours by the end of October. In 2015, then-Defense Secretary Ash Carter established the DIUx office in Silicon Valley, in the hope that a presence in the midst of tech startup boom country would convince small companies that working with the government would pay off. So far, the results have been modest, with most firms declining to sign up to be a part of the painfully slow and cumbersome government contracting process. What worries the Pentagon is that rivals like China don't suffer the same competition with the private sector for top talent. The government in Beijing compels technology firms to work with the government, which has led to a series of rapid-fire advances in artificial intelligence and surveillance technologies developed by large tech firms being sucked up by the government. In the United States, many tech firms are far more wary. Over 3,000 Google engineers recently signed a petition to refuse to work with the Pentagon on Project Maven, a program that collects and sorts data from drones to assist in targeting. The engineers objected to working on a program that could be used in bombing campaigns. Google will withdraw from the program. At the same time, Google leadership is working with the Chinese government on developing a Chinese-specific search engine that censors information Beijing wants to keep from its citizens. Roper knows the hurdles he faces. He's not looking to lock these companies into long-term contracts or relationships: “We're looking to buy into their ideas...I would love for them to sell us their product on their way to being bought up by Amazon.” In order to get there, the plan is for the Air Force to review the companies who want to partner with them and send out invitations to do a live pitch. At the end of a day of pitches, the idea is for 60 to 80 percent of the companies to walk out with a deal the same day. That's where the credit cards come in. Roper said he wants his people to use theirs to literally buy tech on the spot with a swipe. “The authorities that govern government purchase cards are broad and so we had both our government contracting professionals and legal professionals come back and they determined that we can do small business awards using a [government card],” he said. The new authority helps both sides: The companies get the cash, and the government doesn't drive away a potential partner by throwing months of lag time at them before a deal can be done. Even other transaction authority agreements, which are used when the Pentagon needs to move fast, “take three to four months — and that's in a good case — [but] that's too long for a startup.” https://breakingdefense.com/2018/09/air-force-busts-out-credit-cards-to-buy-high-tech-gear/

By: Sam LaGrone VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — The Pentagon's new focus on high-end warfare with sophisticated adversaries will put increased emphasis and pressure on Navy readiness, and the service's maintenance infrastructure needs to better in fixing ships on time, the head of Naval Sea Systems Command said on Tuesday. Taking cues from Secretary of Defense James Mattis' new National Defense Strategy, all the services are focused on dialing up readiness to meet a higher-level threat, Vice Adm. Tom Moore said during a keynote speech at the American Society of Naval Engineers (ASNE) Fleet Maintenance and Modernization Symposium. “The last year has had the biggest focus on readiness that I have seen in the 37 years I've been in the Navy, and that's on all levels. Navy leadership is talking about readiness every single day, from the [chief of naval operations] on down,” Moore said. “Right now we're not delivering on everything we need delivered, and going forth we really need to deliver, and the pace of change is only going to get faster.” According to Moore, the Navy's public yards are delivering ships on-time about 45 to 50 percent of the time, while private shipyards are getting ships out on time about 35 percent of the time. “It's important to keep in mind that I have 55 ships coming into maintenance availabilities in the private sector in 2019, and in 2018 only 35 percent ships I have in availabilities are expected to move on time,” he said. “Thirty-five percent is just not going to be good enough moving forward to meet the demands that fleet has today.” He indicated that the four public shipyards are improving. “We're starting to see some results. Last year we delivered all four carriers all on time. We stubbed our toe a little bit on Ike,” Moore said referring to the maintenance availability of carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower(CVN-69) that has almost doubled in length. Work on nuclear submarines has also lagged in public yards, he said. “All I have to do is look at Ike, Rhode Island and Ohio and Seawolf and some of the ships that are in the yard today to know that's still a challenge for us.” NAVSEA has a plan on the books to retool and refresh its four public yards over the next 20 years and has now turned its attention to the private yards: it needs to contract in a way that promotes more efficient work, and it needs more capacity through more drydocks. “There are people who argue with me that whether we have a capacity challenge or not, but all I do is look that only 35 percent of the ships are delivered on time, and the conclusion I draw is there are not enough people working on ships,” he said. “If we're going to be successful, we have to be able to provide a stable and predictable workload for industry, and we're going to have to be competitive.” NAVSEA is taking yet another look at how it contracts with private shipyards for maintenance, with a plan to modify the Multiple Award Contract/Multi-Order (MAC-MO) contract strategy that was meant to optimize cost for the Navy. “The consensus was, after two years of running with MAC-MO, I think we agree that strategy isn't delivering the results that we need,” Moore said. To improve the process, NAVSEA is working a pilot program that would bundle availabilities on each coast that would allow companies a more predictable set of work. “We'll get bids from industry and we'll be able to lay [our] chips on the table. We'll be able to look at the bids. We'll be able to look at who has capacity and who doesn't. We'll be able to look at, hey, it's important to keep an industrial base, and we'll be able to make decisions that are not solely based on price that will allow us to deliver our ships on time and give you a little more stable and predictive work,” Moore said. “My goal is eventually that we will eventually – on each coast – bundle availabilities six months at a time... so you can know at least what work you can have in the next six months and beyond.” The Navy is set to test the scheme with a three-ship pilot program for repairs of guided-missile destroyers USS Arleigh Burke (DDG-51) and USS Bulkeley (DDG 84) and amphibious warship USS Gunston Hall(LSD-44). With the increase in predictability for bundled MAC-MO contracts, the Navy hopes private industry will invest in infrastructure to handle the planned 355-ship Navy. “The acquisition strategy we have today doesn't incentivize industry to hire and make investments that I think they need to make,” Moore said. “I think that acquisition strategy is the root cause of what I would say was a lack of capacity in the private sector today.” In another bid to expand capacity, the NAVSEA is looking to certify drydocks to Navy standards. Moore said NAVSEA has been in touch with 12 shipyards who mostly don't do work on warships that are interested in having their drydocks certified for use for repair work. Moore said he's also looking to increase private industries ability to work on nuclear submarines. Currently, there are four submarines in repairs at public yards. Overall, Moore stressed the need to improve maintenance is growing as the Pentagon strives to be more dynamic and the service grows. “We're putting strain on the ships, we're putting strain on the men and women out there wearing the uniform that are out there at the tip of the spear, and it's up to us to figure out how to generate the readiness for the force that we have: 287,” he said. “As we go up to 355, if we can't generate the readiness with 287 in terms of delivering ships on time – as you know there's a lot of skepticism that we can do that as we head to 355.” https://news.usni.org/2018/09/19/navsea-new-pentagon-strategy-putting-pressure-private-public-maintenance-yards-deliver-ships-time

By Bobby Cummings, Office of Naval Research, ARLINGTON, Virginia (NNS) -- For U.S. Navy deep-sea divers, time is of the essence. While operating 100 feet down, with little to no natural light—often in frigid temperatures and limited oxygen—time is everything. But for divers, time remains a precious commodity on the surface as well. For years, military divers have had to manually write and log information from dives while at sea into a system known as the Dive/Jump Reporting System (DJRS). Manual entries can be time-consuming and allow human error. Enter the Office of Naval Research (ONR) Global TechSolutions program, a rapid-response science and technology program focused on solutions to problems submitted by Sailors and Marines. ONR TechSolutions and industry partners have created a new tool called the Scuba Binary Dive Application (SBDA) 100 to digitally plan, record and report dive-profile information to DJRS. The application will accelerate the process of logging and uploading dive information, and will help eliminate potential data-entry mistakes. The idea originated from Force Master Diver Scott Brodeur, Naval Expeditionary Combat Command. “Scott has completed over a thousand dives during his career and he recognized the need to make the logging and reporting process more efficient for his peers,” said Jason Payne, TechSolutions acting program manager. The SBDA 100 is a software application on a ruggedized tablet used to log, compute and accurately compile dive-profile data. The data, collected from a wrist watch that divers wear during operations called a Navy Diver Computer, includes dive site conditions, equipment used by the divers, dive events, such as, when a diver left the surface or left the bottom of the ocean floor, and if the dive required decompression stops. SBDA 100 syncs this information and automatically uploads it to DJRS. “For years, I witnessed how many hours it takes to manually log dives—watching the young guys that have to—at the end of a long 12 to 14-hour-day—come back and manually go through the dive logs and write everything down, and double check it and triple check it,” said Brodeur. During a recent training exercise in the Gulf of Mexico, Brodeur, the Naval Experimental Dive Unit and other U.S. Navy divers stationed around the globe had the opportunity to test the technology for the first time. “The designers gave me a crash course on how to operate the technology,” said Chief Navy Diver Marshall Goble, ship repair facility, Yokosuka, Japan. “I used the device as a primary but still used the ‘old school' way and wrote down the information as well. Both calculations came out 100 percent accurate. I found the tablet easier to use, and I have no doubt it's going to streamline efficiency.” Throughout the process of the development of the SBDA 100, ONR TechSolutions has worked in conjunction with Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command (SPAWAR) Atlantic; industry partner Intelligent Automation Inc.; and Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) Panama City, which is the home of the U.S. Naval Diving and Salvage Training Center. SPAWAR served as the principal investigator and NSWC Panama City provided technical support and hosted the training and demonstration of the SBDA 100 at sea. “The technology has tested very well,” Brodeur said. “It's a testament to the value of the ONR TechSolutions program and everyone who worked on this project. Witnessing this idea come to fruition and have it be built, demonstrated, designed and ready for use is pretty exciting.” Watch a video of the demonstration. Bobby Cummings is a contractor for ONR Corporate Strategic Communications. Get more information about the Navy from US Navy facebook or twitter. For more news from Office of Naval Research, visit www.navy.mil/local/onr/. https://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id=107125

By: Shawn Snow In yet another sign the Corps is becoming increasingly concerned about air defense, the Corps decided to slap a counter-drone system on a Polaris MRZR all-terrain vehicle. It's called the Light Marine Air Defense Integrated System, or LMADIS, and it's comprised of two MRZR vehicles, a command node and a sensor vehicle. The system is a “maneuverable ground-based sensor, electronic attack, C2 [ command and control] system," 1st Lt. Ariel Cecil, the commander of the Low Altitude Air Defense detachment for Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 166, said in a video posted by the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit. The LMADIS can detect, track, identify and take down drones with electronic attack, according to Cecil. The MRZR counter drone system is currently deployed with the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit where it recently participated in the Theater Amphibious Combat Rehearsal exercise in Djibouti. The Corps has been investing heavily in counter air and drone threats. It's an issue the Marines really haven't had to focus on for some time now. But as the Corps begins to face down more sophisticated hostile actors there's no guarantee Marines will always operate on a battlefield where they own the airspace. That means enemy air or drone attacks are now a reality the Corps must plan for. And increasingly, drone technology has found its way into the hands of terrorist groups and ragtag militias. ISIS fighters in Iraq and Syria have been known to weaponize small commercial quadcopter drones, dropping small munitions and hand grenades on Iraqi and partner nation forces. Even the Taliban in Afghanistan have gotten in the game, using small drones to film attacks on remote Afghan army outposts. But the big threat, according to the Commandant of the Marine Corps Gen. Robert B. Neller, is that adversaries will eventually learn how to control these small attack drones in massive swarms. “When you think about enemy air attacks, you think about jets and bombers and stuff,” Neller said at the Atlantic Council in April. “I think the real future in enemy air attack is going to be swarming drones.” So, the Corps has embarked on an ambitious plan to field a new suite of tech to bolster the Corps' air defense and counter drone capabilities. Two such systems are the Ground Based Air Defense-Transformation, or GBAD, and the Ground/Air Task-Oriented Radar, or G/ATOR. The GBAD systems is basically a detection system with laser weapon that can track and destroy drones, and it's mountable on the Corps' new Joint Light Tactical Vehicle or Humvee. That program is still undergoing testing and evaluation. The G/ATOR system has been in the Corps' arsenal since 2013 and it can detect rockets, mortars, artillery cruise missiles, and drones. The system is highly mobile making it integral to the Corps' distributed operations plan in the Pacific should a conflict come between the U.S. and China. And the Corps is also dishing out money to modify Stinger missiles as part of Service Life Extension Program. https://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/2018/09/19/the-corps-just-slapped-a-counter-drone-system-on-an-mrzr-all-terrain-vehicle

By: Brandon Knapp The Defense Advanced Research Agency announced an $8 million contract modification for the University of Southern California's Information Sciences Institute to work on a program that develops circuits that be quickly adapted rather than wholesale reinvented. The work is part of DARPA's Circuit Realization at Faster Timescales (CRAFT) research program. The modification brings the total value of the contract to $28 million, according to a Sept. 17 announcement from the Pentagon. The program is designed to dramatically shorten the design cycle and the expense numbers for custom integrated circuits, which are essential in a wide variety of military equipment such as drones and tactically useful 3D imagery production. Currently, it can cost up to $100 million and take more than two years to design these circuits, according to a DARPA release. The CRAFT program aims to cut that timeline down to a matter of months. “Reducing the time and cost for designing and procuring custom, high-efficiency integrated circuits, should drive more of those in the DoD technology community toward best commercial fabrication and design practices,” CRAFT program manager, Dr. Linton Salmon in a program information release. “A primary payoff would be a versatile development environment in which engineers and designers make decisions based on the best technical solutions for the systems they are building, instead of worrying about circuit design delays or costs.” Work will be performed by USC in Marina Del Ray, California, with an expected completion date of December 2019. DARPA has been working on the program since 2015. https://www.c4isrnet.com/industry/2018/09/19/darpa-contract-aims-to-design-circuits-in-months-not-years

By: Amber Corrin The Navy released a long-awaited final request for proposals Sept. 18 for the re-compete of its Next Generation Enterprise Network contract. But it's part one of two, covering only the hardware side of things as the service looks to overhaul its Navy-Marine Corps Intranet. According to analysts at Deltek, each piece of the NGEN-R request is valued at roughly $250 million over a three-year period, per estimates from Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command. That's significantly lower than NGEN's original $3.5 billion price tag. Specifically, the RFP seeks hardware devices for use on the Department of Defense's classified and unclassified networks, including desktops, laptops, two-in-one detachable devices, tablets, ultra-small desktop computers, as well as thin- or zero-client devices. A single device could serve multiple users and associated accounts, according to the RFP. But for the roughly 400,000 devices NGEN-R looks to replace, the service in particular is looking at an end-user hardware-as-a-service arrangement. “It's breaking out the services that are being provided in a way that allows us to gain most effective advantage of how industry does business today,” Capt. Don Harder, deputy program executive officer for Navy enterprise information systems, told Federal Times in a recent interview. “The end user of hardware and devices as its own separate contract, there are those suppliers out there that that's what they specialize in. By breaking that out into its own contractual component within the NGEN-R construct ... we believe will allow us to get more effective advantage to pricing on those components.” The language in the RFP solidifies Harder's thoughts as part of the statement of work. “In acquiring EUHWaaS, the Government is only acquiring the service of using an EUHW device. This is not a purchase, and titles for all EUHWaaS devices remain with the Contractor,” the RFP states. “EUHWaaS includes the provisioning, storage of spares, configuration, testing, integration, installation, operation, maintenance, [end-of-life] disposal of NIPRNet and SIPRNet EUHW, and internal storage device removal and destruction requirements.” Bids for the hardware piece of NGEN-R are due Nov. 19. The second part of the NGEN-R RFP, service management integration and transport or SMIT, is expected in the next 30 days, according to a Navy spokesman. SMIT will cover much of NMCI's backbone and functionality, including services ranging from help desk to productivity suites to network defense — and how they're technically provided. Splitting NGEN-R into two separate contracts was an intentional move designed, at least in part, to give the Navy greater flexibility in the capabilities available to users, and the options for buying them, as technology evolves. “We are modifying how the services are broken out in a way that it allows us to sever some of those services as new mechanisms [and] provide [them as they are] brought into play or brought to our attention,” Harder said, using cloud capabilities as an example. “We may allow a mechanism to pull some of those into either a hybrid cloud or a cloud solution in the future. If so, it may go on a separate contractual vehicle at which point in time we would sever those services away from the SMIT vehicle. So, we're looking at how we take those services and how we manage them contractually, which would allow us, again additional flexibility later on down the road.” Harder said that throughout the development of NGEN-R, he's been eyeing not just the Navy, but also the broader government to benefit from the new approach. “We're building in that flexibility that allows the government the ability in the future even to find components of services that can be done in a more effective or efficient way [and] either sever them or modify them separately as opposed to having to break apart the entire contract to do something,” he said. The hardware piece of NGEN-R was released less than two weeks after Navy officials announced a one-year, $787 million extension to the incumbent provider, Perspecta. Harder declined to put a dollar figure on the NGEN-R contract, as did other Navy officials. The RFP comes after several delays — officials previously had said the contract would be up for bidding this summer. According to Harder, prior to release the RFP had to be approved by leadership at the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Navy for research, development and acquisition, as well as the Office of the Secretary of Defense's Defense Procurement and Acquisition Policy office. Harder said the Navy has taken extra time to shore up “the education piece” — ensuring the contracting process meets leaders' expectations, particularly with the new strategy. And IT modernization also has come into play, with officials from the broader DoD looking to NGEN as a possible model or even contract vehicle for defense networks down the line, he said. “We need to ensure that what we have placed in the contract and how we're going about the contract meets leadership expectations. And because we are doing things in a different way, that's taking a little bit of time,” Harder said. The Navy's approach to running NMCI today is “one of the more cost-effective ways of managing networks. And there is a desire as part of one of the many IT reform efforts [for possible] integration of networks in the future to mimic or, potentially, even ride on our contracts.” https://www.federaltimes.com/acquisition/2018/09/19/ngen-r-what-is-the-navy-thinking