March 28, 2024

DoD Flunks Audit Again

Morning Coffee is a robust blend of links to news around the internet concerning the Naval Air Station Patuxent River Morning Coffee logoeconomic community. The opinions expressed here do not reflect opinions of the Leader’s owners or staff.

The Defense Department completed its annual financial audit for the fourth time and, for the fourth time, it failed, reports GovExec. But it demonstrated progress.

The US Navy has ordered a navigational safety training stand down in the wake of the attack submarine Connecticut running into a non-moving object while submerged in the Pacific Ocean, reports Breaking Defense. The vessel was forced to return to Gaum. Eight sailors were injured in the October 2 incident, Navy Times reports, and the leaders on the submarine were fired.

The Cybersecurity Talent Management System, Homeland Security’s new hiring portal, is expected to streamline the agency’s application process, build a diverse pipeline of talent, better screen applicants, and allow the agency to better align pay with the value of skills in the market. Defense Systems reports that DHS has about 1,500 vacancies.

Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, and Raytheon were selected to design the Glide Phase Interceptor for regional hypersonic missile defense, reports Defense News. The interceptors are intended to counter a hypersonic weapon during its glide phase of flight.

DefSec Lloyd Austin said the Pentagon will create a strategy for addressing low military pay, reports Army Times, which has resulted in food insecurity issues among some military families. The 2020 Blue Star Families Military Lifestyle Survey found that 14% of the active duty enlisted family members who responded said they had faced food insecurity within the past 12 months.

A DoD’s Office of Inspector General review finds that the department acted appropriately before and during the January 6 insurrection at the US Capitol, reports Military Times. The IG report is one of a number of investigations and reviews of that day.

A British F-35B jet based on the new Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth crashed into the eastern Mediterranean Sea last week, reports Defense News. The crash occurred during a routine operation. The pilot ejected and was picked up. No other aircraft were involved.

Bethesda-based Castellum Inc., a defense technology firm, has acquired Albers Group assets located NAS Pax River, reports GovConWire. The deal sought to expand the Pax market presence of Specialty Systems Inc., which Castellum purchased in August.

Utah State has been awarded a $1 billion contract by the Air Force Research Laboratory to support space-related research and technology development at the university’s Space Dynamics Laboratory, reports C4ISRNET.

 

 

Anchorage, AK, has been chosen as the site for the Ted Stevens Center for Arctic Security Studies, reports Military.com. Stevens was a former US senator from the state. The Defense Department made the announcement on Thursday.

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee held a hearing last week on lessons learned from Afghanistan, reports Military Times. “The tragic events of this past summer were the culmination of poor decision-making by both Republican and Democratic administrations going back to 2001,” said Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ).

The Taliban last week urged the US Congress to ease sanctions and release Afghanistan’s assets as the country faces economic turmoil, reports PBS News Hour.

Deborah Lyons, UN envoy for Afghanistan, says the country is “on the brink of a humanitarian catastrophe,” reports Al Jazeera. Lyons, speaking to the UN Security Council, is urging the international community to find ways to provide financial support to the Afghan people.

Operation Allies Welcome said the last group of Afghan refugees has left Fort Lee, VA, to find new homes, reports The Hill. Fort Lee was one of eight installations that temporarily housed refugees as part of the US withdrawal from Afghanistan. “As we complete operations at Fort Lee, we are incredibly proud of the collaboration that has led to the resettlement of more than 25,000 vulnerable Afghans, including those who worked on behalf of the United States, into local communities across our country,” said Robert Fenton, head of the resettlement effort.

Tanner Jackson, 32, of Texas pleaded guilty to a wire fraud scheme for selling and attempting to sell substandard Chinese-made military helmets, body armor, and other gear to the US government, reports Navy Times.

The Maryland Sports Wagering Application Review Commission approved sportsbook applications from five casinos last week, reports Maryland Matters. Maryland appears to be the 32nd state in the nation where residents can legally place bets on sporting events.

The St. Mary’s County commissioners discussed the new YMCA to be built in Lexington Park, reports The BayNet. The presentation last week included the floor plans, site plans, costs, and other details.

Contracts:

Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., a Lockheed Martin Co., Stratford, Connecticut, is awarded a $21,201,454 modification (P00309) to a previously awarded cost-plus-incentive-fee contract (N0001906C0081). This modification increases scope and provides aircraft maintenance in support of the CH-53K data transfer unit and defensive electronic countermeasure system replacement phase three flight test. Work will be performed in Patuxent River, Maryland (78%); Eglin Air Force Base, Florida (11%); and Hot Springs, Virginia (11%), and is expected to be completed in June 2022. No funds will be obligated at time of award. Funds will be obligated on subsequent modifications to the contract. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity.

Advanced IT Concepts Inc., Winter Springs, Florida (W9128Z-22-D-0004); Teksynap Corp., Reston, Virginia (W9128Z-22-D-0005); and M.C. Dean Inc., Tysons, Virginia (W9128Z-22-D-0006), will compete for each order of the $800,000,000 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for information systems engineering and information technology support services. Bids were solicited via the internet with 11 received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Nov. 30, 2026. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, is the contracting activity.

Bowhead Total Enterprise Solutions LLC, Springfield, Virginia, was awarded a $249,000,000 cost-no-fee, cost-plus-fixed-fee, firm-fixed-price contract for internal and external program management, administrative, network, and information technology support. Bids were solicited via the internet with nine received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Nov. 18, 2026. US Army Corps of Engineers, Huntsville, Alabama, is the contracting activity (W912DY-22-D-0040).

Lockheed Martin Corp., Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, is awarded a $584,835,834 cost-plus-incentive-fee modification (PZ0057) to a previously awarded contract (N0001919C0010). This modification adds scope to provide system integration engineering for the development of new ASQ-239 electronic warfare/counter measure hardware in support of the F-35 aircraft for the Air Force, Marine Corps, Navy, and non-U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) participants. Work will be performed in Nashua, New Hampshire (66%); Fort Worth, Texas (27.5%); Linthicum Heights, Maryland (5%); various locations within the continental U.S. (1%); and Balderstone, Lancashire, United Kingdom (0.5%), and is expected to be completed in April 2026. Fiscal 2022 research, development, test and evaluation (Air Force) funds in the amount of $33,934,533; fiscal 2022 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $33,934,532; and non-U.S. DOD participant funds in the amount of $14,949,980 will be obligated at the time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity.

Science Applications International Corp., Reston, Virginia, is awarded a $43,009,838 cost-plus-fixed-fee, level-of-effort and cost task order to provide production, engineering, and fielding support for the integration of command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance systems on multiple vehicle platforms for the Naval Information Warfare Center Atlantic, Land Systems Integration Division. The task order includes a 12-month base period, plus two six-month option periods. The option periods, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this task order to an estimated $86,613,406. Fiscal 2021 other procurement (Army); fiscal 2022 other procurement (Army); fiscal 2021 procurement (Marine Corps); and fiscal 2022 operation and maintenance (Air Force) funds in the amount of $11,781,002 will be obligated at the time of award. Fiscal 2021 other procurement (Army); fiscal 2022 other procurement (Army); and fiscal 2021 procurement (Marine Corps) funds will not expire at the end of the fiscal year. Fiscal 2022 operation and maintenance (Air Force) funds will expire at the end of the fiscal year. Work will be performed in Charleston, South Carolina (94%); Alamogordo, New Mexico (1%); Kuwait City, Kuwait (1%); Doha, Qatar (1%); Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (1%); and various locations below one percent (2%), and is to be completed in November 2022. If options are exercised, work could continue until November 2023. This sole source task order was not competitively procured in accordance with Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation 16.505(b)(2)(i)(B), only one awardee is capable of providing the supplies or services at the level of quality required because the supplies or services ordered are unique or highly specialized. Naval Information Warfare Center Atlantic, Charleston, South Carolina, is the contracting activity.

M.C. Dean, Tysons, Virginia, was awarded a firm-fixed price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract (HQ0034-22-D-0002). The amount of this action is $250,000,000. The purpose of this contract is for the Pentagon Force Protection Agency Integrated Security Services Contract to provide a total system approach for providing integrated electronic and physical security systems for the Pentagon Reservation, Mark Center, Defense Health Headquarters, Department of Defense leased facilities, and Raven Rock Mountain Complex in Adams County, Pennsylvania; and Washington County, Maryland. This contract provides baseline support (system support, maintenance repair, and logistics) to security applications to the multiple facilities. Work will be performed at the Pentagon and the Mark Center. No funds will be obligated at the time of award. The expected completion date is Dec. 16, 2026. Washington Headquarters Services, Arlington, Virginia, is the contracting activity.

Convergent Solutions Inc., McLean, Virginia, was awarded a firm-fixed-price contract (HQ0034-21-C-0016) in the amount of $15,577,761. The total if all options are exercised is $30,662,500. The Supply Chain Risk Management (SCRM) Illumination contract procures supply chain illumination services for the Department of Defense (DOD) and government agencies to enable these agencies to assess and monitor industrial health and security of the Defense Industrial Base (DIB) for supply chain resiliency and effectiveness. Supply chain illumination enables the identification of opportunities, vulnerabilities and systemic dependencies that are crucial to assessing the health of the government’s DIB suppliers and their affiliations. The information would be ingested onto a government-wide database and enable the government to conduct and form holistic industrial health assessment criteria necessary to guide procurement decisions as an enterprise. Given COVID-19, the requirement is a critical priority for DOD to assess the impacts of COVID-19 on DIB, in order to prioritize and deploy capital to mitigate risks and vulnerabilities. Work will be performed in McLean, Virginia. The following funds have been obligated for this action: fiscal 2020 research, development, test, and evaluation (RDT&E), defense wide funds in the amount of $4,612,055; fiscal 2021 RDT&E, defense wide funds in the amount of $76,864; fiscal 2021 operations and maintenance (O&M), defense wide funds in the amount of $3,759,339; fiscal 2020 procurement, defense wide funds in the amount of $1,500,00; fiscal 2021 O&M, Navy funds in the amount of $1,594,170; fiscal 2021 RDT&E, Navy funds in the amount of $499,500; fiscal 2021 O&M, Air Force funds in the amount of $560,360; fiscal 2021 O&M, Army funds in the amount of $1,693,966; fiscal 2020 RDT&E, non-DOD funds in the amount of $137,500; and fiscal 2021 O&M, non-DOD funds in the amount of $1,144,004. The expected completion date is Aug. 15, 2022. Washington Headquarters Services, Arlington, Virginia, is the contracting activity. (Awarded Dec. 7, 2020)

Veraxx Engineering Corp., Chantilly, Virginia, is awarded a $46,000,000 cost-plus-fixed-fee, cost-reimbursable, firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract. This contract provides for the technical upgrade of the Marine Corps Aviation Distributed Virtual Training Environment (ADVTE) to include analysis, development, production, enhancement, upgrade, test, installation and delivery, documentation, operation, and configuration management. Additionally, this contract provides for the sustainment of ADVTE equipment including network exercise control centers, common virtual training areas, and other aviation training equipment. Work will be performed in New River, North Carolina (15%); San Diego, California (15%); Oceanside, California (15%); Cherry Point, North Carolina (10%); Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii (10%); Ginowan, Japan (10%); Jacksonville, North Carolina (5%); Beaufort, South Carolina (5%); Twenty-nine Palms, California (5%); Yuma, Arizona (5%); and Orlando, Florida (5%), and is expected to be completed in November 2031. No funds will be obligated at time of award; funds will be obligated on individual orders as they are issued. This contract was competitively procured via an electronic request for proposal; three offers were received. The Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division, Orlando, Florida is the contracting activity (N6134021D0021).

Leave A Comment