DoD Promises Bureaucratic Streamlining in 2018

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

Defense News reports on major changes in the Pentagon occurring in the first quarter of 2018 with the creation of three new offices reporting directly to the Secretary of Defense. The goal, says Deputy DefSec Patrick Shanahan, is to make the changes as irreversible as possible. A program executive for IT business systems will be charged with reducing the number of individual IT systems and streamlining them.

The New Year also brings erasure of all past fitness test failures in the Navy, ending mandatory discharge for two failed fitness assessments in a three-year period, reports Military.com. The Navy will no longer boot most sailors from the force solely for failing fitness tests, the changes come as the Navy looks to add more than 4,000 sailors in FY18.

The US Postal Service will begin operating Tesla’s fully electric semi tractors, reports EPOnline. UPS ordered 125; Tesla plans to begin production in 2019.

Turkey makes the first payment in its deal to buy the Russian-made S-400 air defense system, reports Defense News. Turkey did not disclose terms of financing and technical details, citing secrecy clauses in the contract, but on Dec. 25, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey would borrow the loan in Russian rubles instead of US dollars so the debt would be less. NATO members have voiced concern that the technology will not be compatible with Turkey’s allies. Turkey has said the identification friend-or-foe system will be developed locally.

US Customs and Border Protection computer systems were down for two hours New Year’s night, affecting travelers at airports across the country including Atlanta, JFK in New York City, and Miami.

Navy Times reports how Peter Mims spent a week last year hiding in the warship Shiloh’s engine room. Mims is described as a troubled sailor with financial problems and a failed marriage. Severe morale problems aboard the Shiloh, were reported in surveys of crew as far back as 2015.

USA reports findings showing 2017 was the safest year for commercial air travel ever, with only 111 accidents and 13 deaths worldwide.

The 10 best space moments of 2017 — a countdown of an astronomically successful year of accomplishment and learning , from WRAL.com. Notable among the 10 was the US again leading the way in orbital launches with 100 rate on more than 29 launches from Cape Canaveral, Florida, Vandenburg, California, and Wallops Island, Virginia. Russia successfully put 19 of 20 payloads into orbit, while China had success with 16 of 18 launched.

Air Force news reports the MQ-1 Predator drone will retire in 2018, transitioning to the MQ-9 Reaper has begun. The Air Force has flown the Predator for 21 years; the Reaper can fly faster and carry more munitions.

Powerful Hollywood women unveil anti-harassment action plans, reports The New York Times. Called Time’s Up, the movement pledges support to working-class women from “a bunch of women used to getting stuff done,” according to Shonda Rhimes, executive producer of “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Scandal,” and “How to Get Away With Murder.” “And we’re getting stuff done.”

Contracts:

Bell-Boeing JPO, Amarillo, Texas, is being awarded $23,325,145 for cost-plus- fixed-fee delivery order N0001918F5004 against a previously issued basic ordering agreement (N00019-17-G-0002) in support of the V-22. This order provides support of ongoing flight test and evaluation of the V-22 test aircraft. Work will be performed at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland (90 percent); and Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Arizona (10 percent), and is expected to be completed in December 2018. Fiscal 2018 aircraft procurement (Navy); and fiscal 2018 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $23,325,145 will be obligated at 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.

Georgia Tech Applied Research Corporation, Atlanta, Georgia, was awarded a $7,190,037 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract that will provide research, development, operations, and engineering support to deliver, maintain, and continually improve the state-of-the-art information systems supporting the Office of the Secretary of Defense Special Access Program community. Work performance will take place in Arlington, Virginia; Alexandria, Virginia; and potentially other metropolitan Washington, District of Columbia locations. Fiscal 2017 research, development, test and evaluation Funds in the amount of $2,000,000; and Fiscal 2018 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $1,001,096 are being obligated at the time of the award. The expected completion date is June 23, 2018.  Washington Headquarters Services, Arlington, Virginia, is the contracting office.

ABX Air Inc., Wilmington, Ohio (HTC711-18-D-C002); American Airlines, Fort Worth, Texas (HTC711-18-D-C003); Air Transportation International, Irving, Texas (HTC711-18-D-C004); Atlas Air, Purchase, New York (HTC711-18-D-C005); Delta Air Lines Inc., Atlanta, Georgia (HTC711-18-D-C006); FedEx, Washington, District of Columbia (HTC711-18-D-C007); Hawaiian Airlines Inc., Honolulu, Hawaii (HTC711-18-D-C008); JetBlue Airways, Long Island City, New York (HTC711-18-D-C009); Miami Air International, Miami, Florida (HTC711-18-D-C010); National Air Cargo Inc., Orlando, Florida (HTC711-18-D-C011); Polar Air Cargo Worldwide Inc., Purchase, New York (HTC711-18-D-C012); United Parcel Service Co., Louisville, Kentucky (HTC711-18-D-C013); USA Jet Airlines, Belleville, Michigan (HTC711-18-D-C014); Western Global Airlines, Estero, Florida (HTC711-18-D-C015), are 14 Category A offerors that have been awarded an indefinite–delivery/indefinite–quantity and fixed-price contract. This program has an overall five-year maximum ceiling value of $227,925,866 with a contract guaranteed minimum award amount of $2,500 per awardee. This contract is for international commercial scheduled air cargo transportation services. Services encompass time-definite, door-to-door pickup and delivery, transportation, intransit visibility, government-approved third party payment system participation, and expedited customs processing and clearance of less than full planeloads for the movement of regular and recurring hazardous, refrigerated/cold chain (perishable), life and death, narcotics, and other regular recurring cargo shipments. Work will be performed worldwide. The performance period for the base period is Feb. 1, 2018, to Jan. 31, 2019, with four one-year option periods from Feb. 1, 2019, to Jan. 31, 2023. This contract was a competitive acquisition and 14 proposals were received. Funding for this contract is decentralized. The contracting activity is U.S. Transportation Command, Directorate of Acquisition, Scott Air Force Base, Illinois.

ICF Inc. LLC, Fairfax, Virginia (W911QX-18-D-0002); and Parsons Government Services Inc., Pasadena, California (W911QX-18-D-0001), will share in a $175,000,000 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract to provide the Army Research Laboratory’s Computational and Information Sciences Directorate with the research, development, and technology services to support its mission. Bids were solicited via the Internet with five received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Dec. 28, 2025. US Army Contracting Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, is the contracting activity.

URS Federal Services Inc., Germantown, Maryland, was awarded an $114,541,892 modification (000316) to contract W52P1J-12-G-0028 for maintenance, supply and transportation logistics support services. Work will be performed in Camp Arifjan, Kuwait; and Doha, Qatar, with an estimated completion date of Jan. 2, 2019. Fiscal 2018 operations and maintenance (Army) funds in the amount of $4,838,834 were obligated at the time of the award. US Army Contracting Command, Rock Island, Illinois, is the contracting activity.

Booz Allen Hamilton Inc., McLean, Virginia, was awarded a $12,473,773 modification (P00030) to contract W15QKN-14-C-0032 for the continuation of system engineering and technical assistance support services in support of Program Executive Office Enterprise Information Systems’ Project Management Office Integrated Personnel and Pay System-Army. Work will be performed in Arlington, Virginia, with an estimated completion date of June 30, 2018. Fiscal 2018 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $7,000,000 were obligated at the time of the award. US Army Contracting Command, New Jersey, is the contracting activity.

KPMG LLP, McLean, Virginia, is being awarded a maximum $39,756,805 modification number P00012 to exercise option year one to previously awarded labor-hour contract HQ0423-17-F-0010 for fiscal 2018 financial statement audit services of the Army general fund and working capital fund. The modification brings the total cumulative face value of the contract to $66,504,293 from $26,747,488. Work will be performed in McLean, Virginia, with an expected completion date of Dec. 31, 2018. Fiscal 2018 Army operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $39,756,805 are being obligated at the time of the award. The Defense Finance and Accounting Service, Contract Services Directorate, Columbus, Ohio is the contracting activity (HQ0423-17-F-0010).

Leidos Inc., Reston, Virginia, is scheduled to be awarded a zero dollar blanket purchase agreement (BPA) as a result of General Services Administration eBuy request for quotation 1225543, for the Armed Forces Health Longitudinal Technology Application – Composite Health Care System enhancements and sustainment services. Following the award of the BPA, task order 0001 will be awarded; a $25,040,336 fixed price task order will follow with a performance start date of March 1, 2018. The award is a result of a full and open-competition GSA eBuy request for quotation issued on Aug. 11, 2017, which was a re-competed sourced acquisition under GSA’s Information Technology Schedule 70. Fiscal 2018 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $25,040,336 will be obligated at time of award for the task order. The contractor will ensure all operational readiness objectives and requirements are met for the sustainment of the current Department of Defense Electronic Health Record suite of outpatient and inpatient information technology (IT) applications and systems. The Defense Health Agency, Contract Operations – Health Information Technology San Antonio, Texas, is the contracting activity (HT0015-18-A-0001).