DGM21 LLC in Montrose, CO received a $31.9 million firm-fixed-price contract for the FY 2007 consolidated construction projects for U.S. Naval Support Facility, Diego Garcia, British Indian Ocean Territories. This is a design-build project is for wharf improvements and Shore Support Facilities related to the new SSGN submarines, with performance and prescriptive requirements provided by the Government. Work will be performed in Diego Garcia, British Indian Ocean Territories, and is expected to be complete April 2009.
This contract was competitively procured with 17 solicitation packages distributed and 1 proposal received by the Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Pacific, Construction Contracts Branch (N62742-07-C-1313). A different DG21 office recently received a base operating support contract for Diego Garcia.
ITT Avionics in Clifton, NJ received a $78 million firm-fixed-price and time and materials contract for “Foreign Military Sales of the AN/ALQ-173 (V) advanced integrated defense electronics warfare to the country of Pakistan.” Associated spares, support equipment, training, engineering services, flight test support and data are also being acquired. Solicitations began February 2007, negotiations were complete March 2007, and work will be complete January 2010. The Headquarters Warner Robins Air Logistics Center at Robins Air Force Base, GA issued the contract (FA8523-07-C-).
This electronic warfare system will be used on the F-16 aircraft being procured under separate acquisition by the F-16 program office – but oddly enough, it was not among the many ECM alternatives listed in the official US DSCA announcement. See full DID coverage of this $5.1 billion program. At this time, $39 million has been obligated.
Harper Construction Co. Inc. in San Diego, CA received a $43.4 million firm-fixed-price contract for rehabilitation, renovation, and repair of individual officer and enlisted family quarters at Fort Sill, OK. Work is expected to be completed by March 28, 2009. Bids were solicited via the World Wide Web on Oct. 12, 2006, and 3 bids were received by the U.S. Army Engineer District in Tulsa, OK (W912BV-07-C-2000).
Canadian defense minister Gordon O’Connor recently announced that Lockheed Martin’s Sniper ATP has won a contract for 36 surveillance and targeting pods to equip Canada’s CF-18 (upgraded F/A-18A and F/A-18B) aircraft. The contract includes spares, support equipment and integrated logistics support until 2020. Lockheed’ Martin’s release adds that the pods will be installed with “no aircraft modifications and no operational limitations.” This is especially important if the government plans to deploy CF-18s to Kandahar, Afghanistan in the near future.
This CF-18 Advanced Multi-Role Infrared Sensor (AMIRS) project is part of a larger modernization program initiated in 2001. Out of its original purchase of 138 aircraft (98 single-seat CF18A and 40 dual-seat CF18B), Canada retains an operational fleet of 60 CF-18s, plus an additional 25 CF-18Bs in service with 410 Tactical Fighter (Operational Training) Squadron to train its fighter pilots.
Ronco Consulting Corp. in Washington, DC received a $16.5 million firm-fixed-price contract for de-mining and unexploded explosive ordnance removal in Afghanistan. Work will be performed in Afghanistan, and is expected to be complete by March 28, 2008. There were 414 bids solicited on Feb. 25, 2007, and 2 bids were received (popular job, evidently). The Joint Contracting Command – Iraq/Afghanistan in Baghdad, Iraq issued the contracts (W91B4N-07-F-0028).
Since 1981, Ronco Consulting has worked extensively on more than 300 development projects, and over 200 mine and unexploded ordnance (UXO) clearance, explosive ordnance disposal (EOD), and security projects around the world. The firm is currently operational in Afghanistan (including both aid work and work in “the scariest place I had ever seen”), Sudan, Eritrea, Iraq, Lebanon, Mozambique, Sri Lanka – and even stateside in the USA. By most accounts, however, Afghanistan is the most heavily mined country in the world; a souvenir from the Soviet era.
Ronco Consulting is hiring, but be aware that they’re a “drug-free workplace.” Damn, we sure would hope so.
John C. Grimberg, Co., Inc. in Rockville, MD received a $10.9 million firm-fixed-price contract for the construction of the Agile Chemical Facility at Naval Surface Warfare Center, Indian Head, MD. Work will be performed in Indian Head, MD and is expected to be complete by October 2008. This contract was competitively procured, with 2 proposals received by the Naval Engineering Command in Washington, DC (N40080-07-C-0161).
Indian Head’s specialty is “energetics” – if if it propels something or blows up, they’re the people to call. This includes IED land mine research. Unsurprisingly, work to be performed for this contract provides for the construction of a facility to manufacture nitrate eaters, new buildings (including a control building for remote process operation), tanks, containment structures, and other supporting equipment and facilities, stairways, platforms and electrically conductive floors. The contractor will also upgrade storage and delivery facilities for chemicals and raw materials; product handling and transfer facilities; a wastewater treatment system; and a spent acid processing system. This project will include the demolition of 5 substandard building at the existing manufacturing plant. Wonder if the guys working at Indian Head will get to help…
Kollsman, Inc. in Merrimak, NH won a $97.6 million long term indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity contract for test, teardown, analysis, and repair/ modification of various Night Targeting System (NTS), Weapon Repairable Assemblies (WRAs), and System Repairable Assemblies (SRAs) in support of the Marine Corps’ AH-1W Super Cobra attack helicopter. Work will be performed in Merrimack, NH and is expected to be complete by March 2012. This contract was competitively procured, with 2 proposals solicited for this limited competition requirement and 2 offers received by the Naval Inventory Control Point (N00383-07-D-001N).
The first AH-1W prototype flight took place Nov. 16, 1983 at Bell Plant Six, located at the Arlington, Texas municipal airport. After gaining approval for production, Bell followed the prototype with 195 AH-1Ws. The last AH-1W helicopter was delivered in July 1998. It will be replaced by the upgraded, four-bladed AH-1Z Viper.
While there are some contracts issued throughout the year, the US military typically issues large sets of contracts over concentrated periods. In March 2006, for instance, DID covered over $3 billion in contracts issued within a week. A September 2005 flurry was over $1.5 billion worth, while 2 articles’ [1 | 2] worth of contracts in March 2005 amounted to over $2.5 billion. The Defense Energy Support Center estimates that the US military paid more than $10 billion for over 130 million barrels of fuel in 2006, compared to $6.7 billion for 144.8 million barrels in 2004. No wonder energy conservation is on the Pentagon’s agenda, field commanders are asking for portable renewable power, DARPA is researching alternative fuels for B-52 bombers, et. al.
It would appear to be that time of year again. Here are all of the fuel contracts for March 2007, along with descriptions of key fuel types and explanations of the contract language. The final tally was $4,199,518,242 – plus any economic price adjustments later, a term we explain below…
