On March 17/10 DLA’s Defense Supply Center Philadelphia awarded 2 contracts to Cardinal Health, a Dublin, OH-based pharmaceutical and medical products supplier, worth up to $807.1 million for drug distribution to US military medical facilities worldwide.

Under a firm-fixed-price, indefinite-quantity prime vendor contract (SPM2DX-10-D-0001), Cardinal Health will distribute drugs to medical facilities onboard US Navy ships. The contract has a 20-month base period with two 20-month option periods and a maximum value of $150 million, according to a DefenseLink announcement.

Under a requirements-type prime vendor contract (SPM2DX-10-D-0027), the company will distribute pharmaceuticals to US military medical facilities in Europe and the Pacific. That contract has a 20-month base period worth $206.4 million and two 20-month option periods, with a maximum value of $657.1 million, according to a FedBizOpps notice.

DLA also selected a small business qualifier as a secondary drug supplier to Europe and the Pacific.

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Containerized Kitchen
(click to view larger)

Global Strategies Group North America in Frederick, MD received an $18.7 million firm-fixed-price modification to a previously awarded contract (W911QY-05-D-0004) for 103 containerized kitchens and spares.

The containized kitchen is a US Army deployable food preparation container that is able to prepare and serve a minimum of 800 meals up to 3 times per day. The container can be expanded to 8 feet by 8 feet by 20 feet and is mounted on a tactical trailer.

The kitchen is powered by thermal fluid/ cogeneration technology…

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Yellow gear on aircraft carrier

Small business qualifier LPI Technical Services in Chesapeake, VA received an $84.1 million cost-plus-fixed-fee, indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity contract to furnish repair, maintenance, modernization, logistical, and technical support services for material handling equipment (yellow gear) and hull, mechanical, and electric (HM&E) machinery and systems for ship operation and performance.

HM&E equipment includes a broad range of shipboard equipment, ranging from appliances to transformers.

Material handling equipment known as “yellow gear” is used for aircraft handling, servicing, maintenance and fire fighting on aircraft carriers.

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Chartered Mi-8, ISAF
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British commander foresaw own death; Major deal for US State Department; credit-worthy Czechs; drop gone wrong; contracts to Evergreen, CHC, and Presidential Airways. (March 9/10)

Afghanistan is shaping up as a test of the NATO alliance. Thus far, the report is mixed. While a number of allied countries have committed troops, very few of the NATO countries’ available helicopters have been committed, despite promises made and commanders’ requests from the field. At the moment, Britain, the Netherlands, and the USA still contribute most of the combat helicopter support in theater, alongside some CH-47s from non-NATO partner Australia. They are supplemented by helicopters from some east bloc countries like Poland and the Czech Republic (Mi-8/17s), and the very recent addition of a few CH-47D Chinooks and Bell 412ERs from Canada. The sizable helicopter fleets belonging to NATO members like France, Germany, Italy, and Spain have seen some use in Afghanistan, but the bulk of their use has been in areas away from the serious fighting in the south.

That is creating political tensions within the alliance, especially when set against the backdrop of European shortfalls in meeting NATO ISAF commitments. At one point, the USA was forced to extend the deployment of 20 CH-47 helicopters by 6 months, in order to try and make up the shortfall. Over the longer, term, however, a 2-track solution has emerged. Track one involves keeping up the pressure, and some members of NATO have responded. Track 2 has involved stanching the wound by chartering private helicopter support that can take care of more routine missions in theater, freeing the military helicopters for other tasks.

• Contracts and Key Events [updated]
• Additional Readings
  
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• EU warns US about protectionism in KC-X tanker RFP. EU release

• London Times covers China’s escalating cyberwarfare against western military and civilian targets. USNI Blog asks the logical question.

• China launches Yaogan-9 military reconnaissance satellite.

• Brazil’s president has “not yet decided” what fighter to buy, as his government disputes a bid pricing leak.

• The US military is looking for a few good ideas. Beginning in battlefield forensics.

• Seapower chair Rep. Gene Taylor [D-MS] asks: What’s going on with Northrop’s shipbuilding contracts?

• US MSC describes use of pre-positioning ships, joint crewing, and even INLS lighterage in response to Haiti disaster.

• Raytheon gets $152 million order to provide engineering services for the Patriot anti-air missile defense system.

• Raytheon mourns Space and Airborne Systems (SAS) President John C. Jones.

• Pentagon Channel on Hurt Locker’s Oscar win. Meanwhile, CNN talks to EOD techs about the reality.

• USJFCOM ready to deploy commercial-off-the-shelf technology to improve access to large data files for US troops in Afghanistan.

The US Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD) in Patuxent River, MD is looking for contractors to provide maintenance, logistics, and life cycle service support for its Special Communications Requirement Division’s (SCRD) communication-electronic (C-E) equipment, systems and subsystems.

The SCRD designs, develops, tests and supports joint special operations’ communications and electronics equipment. The division develops quick reaction and testing of communications packages for hand-held and manpack radios, high speed and rigid inflatable boats, mobile and fixed-base operations, special communications vans and other vehicles, and air-land transportable command posts.

NAWCAD recently issued a sources sought notice to get industry feedback for a follow-on to a contract (N00421-06-C-0085) that was awarded to BAE Systems Technology Solutions & Services in Rockville, MD in 2006.

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• White House releases its Comprehensive National Cybersecurity Initiative, which includes plans to deploy intrusion detection and prevention systems throughout the US federal government.

• Up to $187.4 million to L-3 for US Navy systems engineering and technical support services.

• ITT snags $45 million order to support US military prepositioned equipment at Camp Arifjan in Kuwait under US Army’s FIRST contract [PDF].

• New Zealand army awards $100 million contract to Lockheed Martin to provide warehousing and repair services.

• Canadian Forces release latest suicide rates, program information. For comparison, the Canadian male rate was 17.9 per 100,000 in 2005, and would be higher if restricted to forces-eligible age ranges.

• Northrop Grumman seeking small businesses to join its GMD missile defense bid. Industry Day on March 11/10, in Huntsville, AL.

• Navantia delivering patrol vessels to Venezuela.

• USAF updating GPS-II ground control software.

• “Bet you’re surprised” category: 3 US Navy facilities nominated for wildlife conservation awards.

• Research and Markets: Study finds that technology companies have role to play in beefing up early warning systems for regional conflicts.

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

$2.77 billion KBR order for Iraq work prompts response from US lawmaker. (March 3/10)

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 – KBR, DynCorp and Fluor – who compete for task orders.

The LOGCAP 4 contracts are indefinite-quantity/ indefinite-delivery contracts with 1 base year and 9 option years. Each contract has a maximum value of $5 billion per year. This allows the Army to award a total annual maximum value of $15 billion and a lifetime maximum value of $150 billion…

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USNS Sacagawea
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$824.6 million for construction of T-AKE 13 and T-AKE 14. (Feb 26/10)

The entire T-AKE dry cargo/ ammunition ship program could have a total value of as much as $6.2 billion, and a size of 14 ships, as the US looks to modernize its supply fleet. The House Armed Services Committee put together an FY 2008 budget that added $456 million for another T-AKE ship – though this figure would not cover all of the internal systems etc. that must be added to make it operational. The FY 2009 budget added 2 more. In total, the US Navy has contracted for 14 T-AKE ships.

How do T-AKE ships fit into US naval operations? What ships do they replace? What’s the tie-in to US civilian industrial capacity? How were environmental standards built into their design? And what contracts have been issued for T-AKE ships to date?

• T-AKE Ships: Mission & Capabilities
• T-AKE Ships: The Civilian Industry Angle
• T-AKE Ships & the Environment
• T-AKE Ships: Contracts & Key Events [updated]
• Additional Readings & Sources
  
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AC First, a joint venture between AECOM and CACI, received a maintenance and supply services task order under the US Army’s Field and Installation Readiness Support Team (FIRST) contract vehicle.

Under the task order, AC First will provide maintenance and management support for the Army Prepositioned Stock (APS-5) program in Afghanistan. The task order has a 12-month base year and 4 one-year options. The total value if all options are exercised is $378 million.

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