GDC4S to Support JTRS High-Bandwidth Radio Waveform, 2011-2016

In September 2011, General Dynamics C4 Systems in Scottsdale, AZ won an estimated $64.6 million, 5-year indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity, cost-plus-incentive-fee and cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for Wideband Networking Waveform software in-service maintenance, upgrades, and enhancements. WNW is the COFDM digital waveform protocol developed for the USA’s range of JTRS software-programmable radios, with data rates up to 12.1 Mbps. It’s part of the Network Enterprise Domain set that underlies all of the specific JTRS radio programs for aircraft, ships, vehicles and soldiers.

GDC4S has been involved with JTRS programs for some time, and is also the lead for the soldiers’ JTRS HMS program, working alongside Thales Communications et. al. WNW work will be performed in Scottsdale, AZ, and is expected to be complete by September 2016, but contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year, on Sept 30/11. The contract was competitively procured via the FBO.gov website and the SPAWAR E-commerce website, with 2 offers received; GDC4’s most likely competitor was the L-3 Communications conglomerate. The US Space and Naval Warfare Systems (SPAWAR) Center Atlantic in Charleston, SC manages this contract (N65236-11-D-4806).

Daily Rapid Fire: 2011-09-21 | CORs Must Be Govt Employees

• Harris Corporation opens a 573,000 square-foot plant in Henrietta near Rochester, NY in to consolidate production of tactical radios and other communication systems. About 1,100 people will work there.

• DFARS clarification: a Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) must be an employee, military or civilian, of the U.S. Government, a foreign government, or a NATO/coalition partner, in other words private contractors cannot serve as a COR. This rule denies a request from Headquarters NATO Training Mission-Afghanistan (NTM-A) to permit the designation of non-U.S. Government employees as CORs in support of the NTM-A’s efforts to train the Afghan National Security Force (ANSF).

• US Army Mission and Installation Contracting Command (MICC) tweaks its acquisition process by introducing the Acquisition Milestone Agreement (AMA) to replace the Milestone Tracking Report by January next year. This change is meant to reduce the number of missed milestones by making contracting officers team with their requiring counterparts earlier. MICC plans, awards and administers contracts for Army Commands, Direct Reporting Units and other organizations.