In recent days, the USA’s Defense Energy Support Center (DESC) in Fort Belvoir, VA has issued a series of fixed-price with economic-price-adjustment contracts for Direct Supply Natural Gas for U.S. defense and civilian agencies. There were 132 proposals solicited and 29 companies responded. Performance completion date is Sept. 30, 2008.
As one may infer from the contract numbering and the frequent practice of apportioning contracts among all respondents, there are additional contracts in this area. DID offers this recent subset worth $347 million as a representative sample, but we will not be covering all future contracts in this area.
Utah State University Space Dynamics Laboratory of Logan, Utah, received an indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity, cost-plus-fixed-fee contract. MDA requires performance by Utah State University Space Dynamics Laboratory in the capacity of a university affiliated research center for core competencies of research, development, and engineering work related to state-of-the-art and proof-of-concept sensor systems for airborne and space-based platforms, investigation of new sensor systems, and participation in the early stages of future Department of Defense technology initiatives.
Utah State University Space Dynamics Laboratory is a university affiliated research center sponsored by Missle Defense Agency (MDA) as designated by the Director of Defense Research and Engineering. The five-year period of performance will have a maximum contract value of $48.3 million, and the principal place of performance will be Logan, UT, and research and development funds have been provided for this contract. Work is expected to be complete in May 2010. The Missile Defense Agency issued the contract (HQ0006-05-D-0005).
Norway’s Forsvarsdepartmentet published Relevant Force on June 17, 2005, which provides the political basis for the development of armed forces doctrines and the NAF’s operational and procurement activities:
“The NAF is undergoing comprehensive change, from a threat-driven and personnel-intensive anti-invasion force during the Cold War to a flexible, capability-driven, high-readiness force, in which quality is prioritised. The technological and conceptual changes in the military field, combined with fundamentally new security challenges, require that also the NAF must undergo a military transformation. The aim of military transformation is to create armed forces capable of facing unpredictability and a broad range of different tasks. The need for transformation will be decisive in all investment and procurement of new equipment.”
Shared Spectrum Co. in McLean, VA received a $17 million cost-plus fixed-fee contract. The objective of this effort is to develop technology that will dynamically and efficiently allocate the communications radio frequency spectrum resource to a myriad of competing legacy radios and evolving wide band communications services for tactical mobile users.
The advanced proven next generation (XG) technologies that enable tactical radio networks to use available spectrum with minimal interference to existing users. The final deliverable is a Prototype System, intended to advance previously proven technologies and demonstrate the development of a revolutionary prototype next generation (XG)-enabled radio system in military-relevant scenarios. Solicitation began June 2005, negotiations were completed June 2005, and work will be complete by August 2007. The Air Force Research Laboratory in Rome, NY issued the contract (FA8750-05-C-0150).
DID covered the future of land robots recently, and noted the challenges inherent in autonomously-steered robots as envisoned in the Future Combat System. Well, Defense Technologies Inc. in Ranlo, NC received an $8.8 million ceiling-priced indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contract for basic and applied research leading to the development of a prototype Intelligent Autonomous Unmanned Controls Station System.
Work will be performed in Ranlo, N.C. (70%) and Patuxent River, Md. (30%), and is expected to be completed in June 2008. This contract was competitively procured under a Broad Agency Announcement; one proposal was received. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division in Patuxent River, MD, issued the contract (N00421-05-D-0055).
Rockwell Collins Government Systems in Cedar Rapids, IA received a $45.3 million firm-fixed-price and cost-plus-fixed fee contract modification, exercising production options for the purchase of 19,659 Defense Advanced Global Positioning Satellite Receivers (DAGRs) and accessories. The order includes some foreign military sales.
Now General Atomics Aeronautical Systems in San Diego, CA has received a pair of contract modifications from The Headquarters Aeronautical Systems Center at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, OH, which appear to be sustainment-related:
Wyle Laboratories Inc. received an Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ), with work ordered using cost-plus-fixed-fee (CPFF) term Technical Area Tasks (TAT) Delivery Orders, for the Reliability Information Analysis Center (RIAC). The contract has a 36-month base period with one 24-month option period, and the estimated cost and fixed fee for the entire 5-year period is $13.6 million.
Raytheon Co. Electronics Systems in Goleta, CA, received a $13.6 million modification to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract (N00019-04-C-0123), exercising an option for the seventh full-rate-production lot of 15 AN/ALR-67(V)3 Radar Warning Receiver (RWR) systems for the U.S. Navy’s F/A-18E/F Super Hornet. While quantities were not given, a previous DID article noted a previous $44 million modification for 42 receivers.
The AN/ALR-67(V)3 RWR is a radar warning receiver that provides visual and aural alerts to F/A-18E/F aircrew upon detection of ground-based, ship-based, or airborne radar emitters. It is designed to enhance pilot situational awareness by providing accurate identification, lethality, and azimuth displays of hostile and friendly emitters. Work will be performed in El Segundo, CA (39%); Forest, MI (27%); Goleta, CA (16%); Lansdale, PA (10%); Portland, OR (5%), and McKinney, TX (3%), and is expected to be complete in December 2007. The Naval Air Systems Command in Patuxent River, Md. issued the contract.
Canadian Commercial Corp. of Ottawa, Canada received a $5,074,949 firm-fixed-price delivery order against a previously awarded contract (M67854-01-D-3053) to provide 91,403 pairs of gloves for the Joint Service Lightweight Integrated Suit Technology (JSLIST) program. This works out to USD $55.53 per pair.
JSLIST is a joint service chemical protective ensemble development based on a 1993 Memorandum of Understanding between all four services, but the Marine Corps is the lead service for the JSLIST program. When combined with the Chemical Protective Mask, the JSLIST provides protection against chemical and biological agents, radioactive fallout particles, and battlefield contaminants.
