Chowing Down
(click to view full)

Labatt Food Service in San Antonio, TX won a maximum $45 million price with economic price adjustment, prime vendor contract for food and beverage support to U.S. military and non-military customers in San Antonio, TX and surrounding area. Labatt will supply food and beverages to U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, U.S. Air Force, and U.S. Coast Guard facilities, as well as some non-military facilities.

The original proposal was Web solicited with 3 responses received by the Defense Supply Center Philadelphia in Philadelphia, PA (SPM300-08-D-3143). This contract is exercising the 4th option year period. The date of performance completion is July 14/10.

DID has more information on the facilities Labatt will be supplying…

Continue Reading… »

Fluor builds LOGCAP housing
in southern Afghanistan
(click to view full)

As readers of DID are aware, the U.S. Army’s sole provider LOGCAP 3 contract, which provided food, housing and fuel for U.S. troops worldwide, generated lots of controversy because government audits of the sole supplier’s (Halliburton-KBR) work were unable to fully account for millions of dollars or justify all charges to the Pentagon’s satisfaction.

To address perceived problems of LOGCAP 3, the Army awarded the follow-on contract, LOGCAP 4, to 3 companies, including KBR, who compete for task orders. The other companies are DynCorp and Fluor. In fact, both DynCorp and Fluor recently won task orders under LOGCAP 4 to provide support to the U.S. military in Afghanistan.

DID has more on the recent LOGCAP 4 contracts, as well as a court ruling regarding KBR’s LOGCAP work…

Continue Reading… »

Salad bar at
Al Asad AB, Iraq

The U.S. Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) exercised its 3rd option period on a contract with Agility Defense & Government Services (DGS) for the supply and distribution of food and non-food products to U.S. forces in Iraq. The maximum value of the 18-month extension is $1.4 billion.

The contract extension requires Agility DGS to handle procurement, shipping, warehousing and distribution of food and non-food products for all branches of the U.S. military. Agility DGS originally won the $4.6 billion Subsistence Prime Vendor contract (SPM300-05-D-3128) in December 2005. The extension covers the 3rd and final option year.

DID has more on the Subsistence Prime Vendor Program…

Continue Reading… »

In January 2006, “IBM Wins $370M Contract for Commissary Point-of-Sales System” covered IBM’s 5-10 year, $370 million maximum contract to support the US Defense Commissary Agency’s Commercial Advanced Resale Transaction System (CARTS), which replaces replace the existing point-of-sales (POS) system used at checkout. The DeCA is a supermarket chain in its own right, with worldwide operations and over 250 stores and distribution centers.

Recently, E&E Enterprises Global, Inc. was selected to provide a HughesNet high-availability satellite broadband system to support DeCA commissaries worldwide. Hughes Network Systems, LLC will provide the high-availability VPN service to E&E Enterprises Global as a subcontractor during the 4-year (1 base + 3 option years), $12 million contract. That covers 174 stores in the continental USA, 86 stores located outside that region, and 10 central distribution centers outside the continental USA (OCONUS).

HughesNet will support systems that include functions such as POS; debit and credit card transaction authorizations; “just-in-time” product ordering; shipping; receiving; invoicing and billing; email; as well as payroll and personnel management. HughesNet release.

Tyson Fresh Meats, Incorporated in Dakota Dunes, SD received an indefinite delivery, requirements type contract to provide “as needed, case ready, primal and sub-primal pork products” for resale to the commissary stores located in the DeCA East and West Regions, including Alaska and Hawaii. The estimated award amount is $308.6 million. The contract is for a 2 year base period with performance starting May 4/08 through May 3/10, followed by 3 one-year option periods. If all option periods are exercised, the contract will be completed May 3/13. The US Defense Commissary Agency, Resale Contracting Division, Produce Support Branch in Fort Lee, VA solicited 65 firms, and 5 offers were received (HDEC02-08-D-0005)

Tastes like (Parmesan) Chicken…

While there are reports that the French RCIR (Ration de Combat Individuelle Réchauffable) has superior trade value on the front lines, MREs are generally considered to be a significant improvement over earlier US rations. DID readers with a high fright threshold might wish to view a set of comparative photos of modern army rations from various militaries; even if you knew nothing about China, you could guess that their soldiers are draftees. Or, you can learn about the tactical uses of MREs as protection against anti-tank rockets. See below for field anecdotes and contracts from FY 2007 – Present…

Continue Reading… »

Cezanne

The Defense Supply Center Philadelphia in Philadelphia, PA recently issued a series of fixed price with economic price adjustment base contracts to a number of small business qualifiers. Date of performance completion is October 11, 2008:

Produce Source Partners in Newport News, VA won a maximum $27.6 million contract for full-line fresh fruit and vegetable support for Army, Navy, and Marine Corps installations in southern Virginia and Norfolk, VA. This proposal was web solicited and 3 responded (SPM300-07-D-3216).

Foster-Caviness Co., Inc. in Colfax, NC won a maximum $37.6 million contract for full-line fresh fruit and vegetable support for military installations (Army, Air Force, Marine Corps) and USDA School Lunch participants in the state of North Carolina. This proposal was web solicited and 2 responded (SPM300-07-D-3217).

East Coast Fruit Company in, Savannah, GA received a maximum $25.6 million fixed price with economic price adjustment contract for full-line fresh fruit and vegetable support for Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps installations and USDA School Lunch participants in the state of South Carolina. This proposal was web solicited and 1 responded (SPM300-07-D-3218).

Continue Reading… »

Small business qualifier Coastal Pacific Food Distributors in Stockton, CA received a maximum $149.2 million firm-fixed-price contract for full line food distribution services on behalf of US Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, federal civilian agencies – Job Corps Center, and US embassies in Japan, Singapore and Diego Garcia. This is an indefinite delivery/ indefinite-quantity type contract exercising option year 4.

There were 15 proposals submitted and 4 responded; date of performance completion is March 16, 2008. The Defense Supply Center Philadelphia (DSCP) in Philadelphia, PA issued the contract (SPM300-07-D-3046).

Continue Reading… »

Small business qualifier Babington Enterprises, Inc. in McClean, VA received a maximum $10.5 million firm-fixed-price letter contract for “tray ration heating system, single pallet expeditionary kitchen and spare parts.” for the US Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps.

Work will be performed in McClean, VA and Rocky Mount, N.C. This is a sole source competition with 1 response, and funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Date of performance completion is March 2008. Contracting activity is the Defense Supply Center Philadelphia (DSCP), Philadelphia, PA (SPM3SD-07-D-0003).

Continue Reading… »

Army of the Potomac
Commissary Dept. HQ, 1864
(click to view full)

It’s often said that an army travels on its stomach. Well, they base that way, too. In addition to contracts for field rations like MREs, the US military has an extensive network of bases with a correspondingly extensive set of mess halls and even commissary stores where military families can go to buy food and other goods. To get an idea of the scale involved, annual sales at those commissaries exceeds $5 billion.

This article will track an often-overlooked area during the month of October 2006, covering all food-related contracts issued by the US military and explaining just what an “economic price adjustment” contract is.

It will be updated as new contract items are published on DefenseLINK…

Continue Reading… »