India’s CVC Issues Procurement Guidelines for Defense

Independent watchdog agencies are a reliable feature of advanced democracies. Their influence is usually indirect, but occasionally their reports or directives have a more immediate impact on military projects. India’s Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) has issued new directives on defence purchases which may seem somewhat familiar to observers in other countries, but may end up having an impact on several high-profile defense contracts.

As this DDINews report at Defense-Aerospace notes, The CVC has asked the Defence Ministry to avoid single-vendor situations unless very exceptional cicumstances exist, include standard contract terms in Request for Proposals, not deviate or dilute qualitative requirements after RFPs are issued, and require performance bonds and warranty bonds. That last requirement has appearently been something of an issue with Russian suppliers. Upcoming deals that could be affected include:

• The MRCA medium combat aircraft fighter deal, for 125-200 aircraft and $10-15 billion.
  
• The $500-700 million contract for new utility helicopters with high-altitude capability
  
• The long, long delayed purchase of new 155mm howitzers, worth up to $2 billion.
  

Boeing’s Solar Subsidiary Adds California Contract

solar concentrator array

DID recently covered an Australian contract to Boeing subsidiary Spectrolab for 500,000 solar concentrator cells to be used in remote areas. This was a particularly significant development given the call from combat commanders for renewable energy sources at American forward operating bases.

$75M for USAF Surgeon General IT Modernization

Karta Technologies Corp. in San Antonio, TX received a $75 million indefinite delivery/ indefinite quantity contract for information modernization technology (ITM) services for the Air Force Surgeon General’s Information Technology (IT) Branch (AF/SGR). At this time $2.5 million has been committed; work will be complete August 2011. The Headquarters Air Force District Washington at Bolling Air Force Base, DC, is the contracting activity (FA7014-06-D-0017).

Karta has had some recent successes in the military IT and e-learning space that are carving it a strong niche as a mid-level player.

Recent Israeli Contracts: ECM to Korea & Portugal, Riot Gear to China

S-92 VIP Transport
(click to view larger)

Israeli firms have recently won a few foreign defense and security contracts around the world. Elbit’s Elisra Group will supply $7 million worth of electronic warfare (EW) systems to the air forces of Portugal and the Republic of Korea. The company will supply EW systems for ROK Air Force Sikorsky S-92 Superhawk helicopters, and radar warning receivers (RWR) for 12 Portuguese Air Force C-295 transport planes which will form part of their integrated protection suites. Three of the planes will reportedly be equipped with the full self-defense suites, while the other planes will have the infrastructure installed so that the systems can be installed later.

Meanwhile, Beit Alpha Technologies of Kibbutz Beit Alpha recently signed a collaboration with a Chinese firm to jointly develop and market vehicles for riot control and dispersal. The vehicles are slated for use during the 2008 Beijing Olympics. See Ha’aretz story.

$18.9M for US Navy Refrigeration Systems

York International Corp. in York, PA received an $18.9 million cost-plus-fixed-fee, indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity contract for engineering and technical services in support of various centrifugal air conditioning and refrigeration systems onboard various US Navy ships. Work will be performed in Norfolk, VA (60%); San Diego, CA (30%); and Groton, CT (10%), and is expected to be complete by August 2010. The contract was not competitively procured by the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Carderock Division, Ship System Engineering Station in Philadelphia, PA (N65540-06-D-0021).