More Help Needed in Puerto Rico
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.
Puerto Rico is now relying on cruise ships to bring resources to the devastated island, reports Fox Business News. With ongoing questioning of the size of relief efforts to aid the 3.4 million Americans living there, Military Times reports that Navy officials say the hospital ship, the USS Comfort remains in Norfolk, with no FEMA or US Northern Command requests for its presence in the US territory. President Donald Trump plans to visit the island next Tuesday. He said recovery is more challenging in Puerto Rico due to its geography, than efforts following Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, reports CNN.
DefSec Jim Mattis said Tuesday that the United States wants to resolve the standoff with North Korea diplomatically and is focused on denuclearizing Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons program, reports AP News.
The State Department plans to become a bigger cloud service provider in FY2018, reports Washington Technology, and the Ag Dept. plans to offer services across all federal agencies asking for $3 billion for IT in fiscal 2018, out of an overall discretionary budget of $18 billion.
Rep. Will Hurd (R-TX) continues his push for federal CIOs to get up to speed on the modernization tools provided in the recently passed Modernizing Government Technology Act, reports FCW, and identifies a plan for a “cyber National Guard” as his next legislative priority.
ADM Scott Smith, head of the Navy’s Pacific Fleet will retire, reports the Navy Times, another departure from the regional and surface force commands in the wake of two fatal destroyer collisions this summer that killed 17 sailors. VADM Thomas Rowden, the three-star in command of Naval Surface Force, will put in for early retirement. Task Force 70 commander RADM Charles Williams and Destroyer Squadron 15 head Capt. Jeffrey Bennett were fired. Before that, VADM Joseph Aucoin was fired as head of 7th Fleet just days after the McCain disaster in August.
New sanctions are starting to bite in North Korea, Nikkei reports. For nearly three weeks following North Korea’s Sept. 3 nuclear test, the gasoline price in Pyongyang held at 1.60 euros ($1.90) per kilogram. Thursday, Sept. 21, the price increased more than 40 percent to 2.30 euros. Diesel also jumped that day to 2 euros per kilogram from 1.70 euros. Gasoline has tripled in price and diesel fuel has doubled since the first of the year.
Iran’s recent ballistic missile launch was fake news and never took place, reports The Hill. CNN reports US intelligence radars and sensors “picked up no indication” of an Iranian ballistic missile launch after a reported test, according to a Trump administration official, “As far as we can see, it did not happen.”
US military contractors accuse Baghdad of shake downs to force tax payments, reports Military Times. Companies say the forced payments can total millions of dollars and that Iraqi authorities have held up and even threatened to stop delivery of essential supplies, including food, fuel and water, bound for US and coalition forces, according to interviews and documents obtained by The Associated Press.
Iraqi Kurds celebrate their vote for independence and their neighbors hold military exercises, reports the New York Times.
A civilian drone crashed into a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter over Staten Island, reports the Military Times. The crew of four soldiers sustained no injuries and the aircraft sustained minor damage to the window and rotor blade. It was repaired and back in service within 24 hours.
The Marines have their first female infantry officer, reports Military.com. She will celebrate graduation of the famously difficult infantry officer course in a private ceremony reserved for family members and join her new unit at Camp Pendleton, CA.
Israeli lawmakers endorsed acquisition of 17 more F-35s to ensure two full stealth squadrons for the Air Force, but urged a comprehensive review of alternatives, including drones and “other sources of precision fire,” before any follow-up purchases, reports Defense News.
Contracts:
Vexterra Group LLC, McLean, Virginia, was awarded a time and materials and cost reimbursable contract with a maximum ceiling value of $16,062,717 to provide services and operational laboratory support to Defense Intelligence Agency’s National Media Exploitation Center (NMEC). The contract will support services such as digital forensics, content processing and analysis to NMEC’s Science and Technology Integration Lab. Work is to be performed in the national Capital region with an expected completion date of Sep. 14, 2022. Fiscal 2017 operations and maintenance; and research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $3,082,388 are being obligated at time of award. This was a competitive small business (8a) acquisition, and seven offers were received. The Virginia Contracting Activity, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity.
Huntington Ingalls Inc., Newport News, Virginia, is being awarded a $27,498,253 cost-plus-fixed-fee modification to apreviously awarded contract (N00024-15-C-2121) to exercise options for engineering, technical, design agent, and Hull Planning Yard services in support of the Navy’s aircraft carrier fleet. This modification will exercise options in support of Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) class and propulsion plant related efforts for Nimitz (CVN 68) class aircraft carriers. The scope of this effort includes technical and engineering support for nuclear powered aircraft carriers and aircraft carrier support facilities; design, development, conversion, testing, studies, operational support, and support services for operational nuclear powered aircraft carriers; modernization and procurement of material, equipment, spares, repair parts, and test equipment for operational nuclear powered aircraft carriers; design agent, planning yard support and equipment obsolescence support of operational nuclear powered aircraft carriers; and engineering/logistics studies in support of modernization efforts, repairs, ship alterations, ship change documents, and command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance upgrades. Work will be performed in Newport News, Virginia, and is expected to complete by September 2018. Fiscal 2016 and 2017 other procurement (Navy); fiscal 2016 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy); fiscal 2017 aircraft procurement (Navy); and fiscal 2017 weapons procurement (Navy) funding in the amount of $700,334 will be obligated at the time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Fiscal 2015 other procurement (Navy) funding in the amount of $9,876; and fiscal 2017 operations and maintenance (Navy) funding in the amount of $6,660,709 will be obligated at the time of award and expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity.
A-VET/MGC II A JV LLC, Warner Robins, Georgia, is being awarded a maximum amount $37,508,244 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for construction maintenance for roofing repair and replacement for federal activities in the Hampton Roads, Virginia, area. The work to be performed provides for locating and isolating roof leakage points and water infiltration, removal, repair and replacement of polyvinyl chloride and ethylene propylene diene monomer single-ply roofing systems, two-ply, modified bitumen roofing, asphalt shingles, standing seam metal roofing, transite roof panels and other asbestos containing roofing materials, and rolled roofing. No task orders are being issued at this time. Work will be performed in Virginia Beach, Virginia (30 percent); Norfolk, Virginia (30 percent); Portsmouth, Virginia (25 percent); and Yorktown, Virginia (15 percent), and is expected to be completed by September 2022. Fiscal 2017 operation and maintenance (Navy) contract funds in the amount of $5,000 are obligated on this award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Future task orders will be primarily funded by operation and maintenance (Navy). This contract was competitively procured via the Navy Electronic Commerce Online website, with six proposals received. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Mid-Atlantic, Norfolk, Virginia, is the contracting activity (N40085-17-D-0319).
Siemens Government Technologies Inc., Arlington, Virginia, has been awarded an $8,902,000 firm-fixed-price energy savings performance contract in support of U.S. Army Garrison Wiesbaden, Germany. Two bids were solicited with two bids received. Work will be performed in Wiesbaden-Erbenheim, Germany, with an estimated completion date of Nov. 30, 2040. Fiscal 2017 operations and maintenance (Army) funds in the amount of $1 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Huntsville, Alabama, is the contracting activity (W912DY-17-F-0282).
Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Annapolis, Maryland, is being awarded an $18,608,828 firm-fixed-price and cost-plus-fixed-fee modification to a previously awarded contract (N00024-13-C-6412) to exercise option year four for the production of MK54 Mod 0 lightweight torpedo (LWT) array kits, production support material, and related engineering and hardware repair services for upgrade of Navy LWTs. This contract combines purchases for the Navy (84 percent); the governments of the United Kingdom (11 percent); and Thailand (5 percent), under the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program. Work will be performed in Lititz, Pennsylvania (40 percent); Annapolis, Maryland (30 percent); and Salt Lake City, Utah (30 percent), and is expected to be completed by November 2020. Fiscal 2017 weapons procurement (Navy); and foreign military sales funding in the amount of $18,608,828 will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity.
Booz Allen Hamilton, McLean, Virginia (N65236-15-D-4800/P00010); CENTRA Technology Inc., Burlington, Massachusetts (N65236-15-D-4801/P00025); ManTech SRS Technologies Inc., Arlington, Virginia (N65236-15-D-4802/P00012); and Schafer Corp., Chelmsford, Massachusetts (N65236-15-D-4803/P00015), are each being awarded a combined $13,486,179 modification to a previously awarded indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, cost-plus-fixed-fee, with provisions for firm-fixed-price task orders, performance based contract. This multiple award contract (MAC) is currently in its last option period with a contract expiration date of Nov. 24, 2017. These modifications increase the basic contract estimated ceiling by $13,486,179 and changes the cumulative estimated value of the contracts from $96,945,000 to $110,431,179, which will be split among the four current awardees. These modifications will also extend Federal Acquisition Regulation clause 52.216-22 period of performance end date from 180 days to Nov. 24, 2019. This MAC is for technical, programmatic, financial, and administrative support services for existing and future Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency Tactical Technology Office programs. Work will be performed in Arlington, Virginia, and is expected to be completed by November 2019. No funds are being obligated at the time of award. No funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This MAC was previously procured competitively by full and open competition via the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command e-commerce Central website and the Federal Business Opportunities website. Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Atlantic, Charleston, South Carolina, is the contracting activity.
