Navy Hospital Ships Deployed on Both Coasts

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.

The Navy’s hospital ship USNS Comfort should be arriving in New York today, Monday, reports NBC News. The ship will dock in NYC to provide extra space and support to medical workers in the fight against the coronavirus outbreak. The USNS Mercy arrived in Los Angeles to help relieve the burden that local hospitals have been facing as the number of COVID-19 cases in California continues to rise, reports Business Insider.

President Donald Trump backed away from calling for a quarantine for coronavirus hotspots in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut, instead directing that a “strong travel advisory” be issued to stem the spread of the outbreak, reports The Associated Press.

The US Navy has pulled the USS Theodore Roosevelt into Guam and is having the entire crew of more than 5,000 sailors tested for the novel coronavirus, Navy Times reports. “We’re taking this day by day. Our top two priorities are taking care of our people and maintaining mission readiness. Both of those go hand in glove. We are confident that our aggressive response will keep USS Theodore Roosevelt able to respond to any crisis in the region,” ADM Mike Gilday said in a statement late Thursday. Retired ADM James Stavridis, a former ship commander who was also served as NATO’s top commander in Europe, disagrees. The Associated Press reports the admiral as saying, “The Navy is headed into choppy waters in terms of readiness in the months ahead.”

The Army appears to be coming to terms with the severity of the coronavirus pandemic, reports Army Times, following a memo sent late last week. “Mitigation measures taken by the Army to blunt the spread of COVID-19 have proven insufficient,” reads the order, which was posted to a web portal for military personnel.

Army Europe helped deliver medical supplies to northern Italy to help hospitals during the coronavirus pandemic, reports Army Times. The deliveries come as Italian authorities struggle to contain coronavirus infections.

The Army is gauging interest from retired officers, non-commissioned officers and soldiers who would be willing to assist with the coronavirus pandemic response effort should their skills and expertise be required, Army Times reports.

The Marine Corps is in the process of replacing the radars of some its Boeing F/A-18 legacy Hornet combat aircraft with a new AESA, or active electronically scanned array system, reports IHS Jane’s 360.

The pilot of a Russian SU-27 that crashed Thursday over the Black Sea has died after being rescued, reports The Aviationist. Russian news outlets report that a search at sea was conducted in “difficult conditions” for the pilot.

 

The Drive reports Germany is getting close to settling on a split purchase of Eurofighter Typhoons and Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornets and EA-18G Growlers to replace its aging fleet of Tornado combat jets. A key driving factor behind the compromise is reportedly the need for the German Air Force to have an aircraft that could deliver American nuclear gravity bombs under a NATO agreement.

Saudi Arabian air defenses intercepted two ballistic missiles launched over the weekend by Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi group toward Riyadh and the city of Jizan, reports Reuters.

In a change of command at Naval Air Facility in El Centro, CA, CAPT Derrick Kingsley was relieved of his duties, reports KMYA/CBS. CAPT Kingsley is scheduled to transfer to Naval Air Station Patuxent River where he will serve as executive officer.

NASA indicates the previously stated mid-to-late May window for its first-ever launch with astronauts on board is still on the calendar, reports Yahoo! SpaceX recently encountered an issue while testing the parachute system to be used on its Crew Dragon spacecraft.

A Government Accountability Office report finds there are too few physical walk-throughs of housing units by military officials to ensure they are in good condition, reports Military Times, problems with collecting feedback from military families on their concerns about housing, and an overall “lack of reliable or consistent data on the condition of privatized housing.” The GAO has made 12 recommendations.

The NAVAIR Human Capital Management Department National Employee of the Year 2019 Award was presented earlier this month, reports The Tester. Tania Dawson, program manager of NAVAIR University, earned the honor.

Stuck at home and want some movie/TV suggestions? Let’s revisit We Are the Mighty’s  list of the 16 best military movies of all time. or Sandboxx’ list of 10 military movies to watch when you’re bored. Maryland Matters offers some suggestions for political movies to watch. We Are the Mighty also compiled a list of the 14 best military nonfiction books of all time.

Contracts:

Harkins Builders Inc., Columbia, Maryland, was awarded a $19,750,853 firm-fixed-price contract to build an Army Reserve center. Bids were solicited via the internet with four received. Work will be performed in Newark, Delaware, with an estimated completion date of Feb. 15, 2022. Fiscal 2016 military construction, Army Reserve funds in the amount of $255,601; fiscal 2020 military construction, Army Reserve funds in the amount of $19,249,417; and fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance, Army funds in the amount of $245,835 were obligated at the time of the award. US Army Corps of Engineers, Louisville, Kentucky, is the contracting activity (W912QR-20-C-0012).

Northrup Grumman Systems Corp., Herndon, Virginia, was awarded a $19,098,570 modification (P00044) to contract W31P4Q-15-C-0065 for software development and training. Work will be performed in Redondo Beach, California, with an estimated completion date of March 31, 2021. Fiscal 2020 research, development, test and evaluation, Army funds in the amount of $1,525,984; and fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance, Army funds in the amount of $17,572,586 were obligated at the time of the award. US Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity.

Markon Inc., Arlington, Virginia, has been awarded an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract modification increasing the overall ceiling of the IDIQ by $40,000,000 for a maximum ceiling of $100,000,000. The requirement provides all personnel, equipment, tools, materials, supervision and non-personal services necessary to perform technical support services for the Department of Defense, Washington Headquarters Services. Work performance will take place at the Pentagon Reservation, Arlington, Virginia. No funds are being obligated at the award of this modification. The expected completion date is Aug. 20, 2022. Washington Headquarters Services, Arlington, Virginia, is the contracting activity (HQ0034-17-D-0016).

CACI NSS Inc., Reston, Virginia, has been awarded a $27,483,671 firm-fixed-price contract with cost-reimbursable line items for travel and other direct cost. This contract provides the Network Operations and Security Center (NOSC) information technology support services. Work will be performed at NOSC facilities, Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina; Lackland Air Force Base, Texas; and Reston, Virginia, with frequent temporary duty and deployment travel requirements to US Central Command’s area of responsibility. The contract is expected to be completed by March 31, 2021. This is a result of an approved justification and approval for other than full and open competition in which only one responsible source, and no other supplies or services, will satisfy agency requirements. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $27,483,671 will fund the current requirement. Headquarters Air Combat Command, Acquisition Management and Integration Center, Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia, is the contracting activity (FA4890-20-C-0003). (Awarded March 25, 2020)

Ameresco, Charlotte, North Carolina (N40085-20-D-0032); Archer Western Federal JV, Chicago, Illinois (N40085-20-D-0033); RQ Construction LLC, Carlsbad, California (N40085-20-D-0034); Sauer Inc., Jacksonville, Florida (N40085-20-D-0035); and The Whiting Turner Contracting Co., Greenbelt, Maryland (N40085-20-D-0036), are awarded a $975,000,000 cumulative value, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, multiple award, design-build (DB) and design-bid-build (DBB) construction contract for large general construction projects.  Locations will be within the Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) Mid-Atlantic area of responsibility (AOR) and primarily at Marine Corps Base (MCB) Camp Lejeune and Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Cherry Point, North Carolina. All work on this contract will be performed in the NAVFAC Mid-Atlantic AOR in North Carolina.  General DB and DBB construction projects include, but are not limited to:  new construction, demolition, repair, alteration and renovation of buildings, their systems and other infrastructure may include civil, structural, mechanical, electrical, fire protection and communication systems. Types of facilities include administrative, industrial, maintenance, warehouses, hangars, communications, personnel support, recreation, lodging, dormitory, medical, training, ranges, roads, etc. The Whiting-Turner Contracting Co. is being awarded the initial task order (P1394F DBB) for motor transport maintenance expansion, MCB Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.  Work for this task order is expected to be complete within 555 days of contract award or by September 2021. The maximum dollar value including the base period and four option years for all five contracts combined is $975,000,000. The task order also contains five options and seven planned modifications, which if exercised, would increase the cumulative contract value to $19,223,445. Fiscal 2019 military construction (MILCON) (Marine Corps) contract funds in the amount of $10,504,353 are obligated on this award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The term of the contract is not to exceed 60 months and is expected to be complete by March 2025. Future task orders will be primarily funded by operations and maintenance (Marine Corps) and MILCON (Marine Corps). This contract was competitively procured via the Federal Business Opportunities website and 22 proposals were received. These five contractors may compete for task orders under the terms and conditions of the awarded contract.  The NAVFAC Mid-Atlantic, Norfolk, Virginia, is the contracting activity.

Raytheon Missile Systems, Tucson, Arizona, is awarded a $147,899,498 fixed-price-incentive-firm-target, firm-fixed-price contract for the full rate production and delivery of 90 Lot 16 Block V Tactical Tomahawk (TACTOM) All Up Round (AUR) Vertical Launch System missiles and other hardware and related services for the Navy.  Additionally, this contract procures TACTOM Block IV AUR recertification AGR-4 Spares.  Work will be performed in Tucson, Arizona (40%); Walled Lake, Michigan (14.4%); Gainesville, Virginia (9.9%); El Segundo, California (4.1%); Clearwater, Florida (3.2%); Glenrothes, Scotland (3%); Spanish Fork, Utah (2.9%); Midland, Ontario, Canada (2.1%); Ontario, California (1.9%); Camden, Arkansas (1.8%); Berryville, Arkansas (1.7%); Vergennes, Vermont (1.7%); Anniston, Alabama (1.1%); Westminster, Colorado (1%); and various locations within the continental US (11.2%), and is expected to be completed in August 2022. Fiscal 2020 weapons procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $147,899,498 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured pursuant to 10 US Code 2304(c)(1). The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity (N00019-20-C-0030).

Management Services Group Inc., doing business as Global Technical Systems, Virginia Beach, Virginia, is awarded a $110,242,536 firm-fixed-price, cost-plus-fixed-fee and cost-only contract for Network, Processing, and Storage (NPS) Technical Insertion 16, Modification 1 production equipment. Work will be performed in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and provides for computer processing and memory, data storage and extraction, network systems, and input and output interfaces to host Navy combat systems and their software applications. Work is expected to be complete by September 2021. If the options of this contract are exercised, the cumulative value of this contract will be $782,169,297 and will be complete by March 2025. Fiscal 2020 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy); fiscal 2020 other procurement (Navy); fiscal 2019 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy); and fiscal 2018 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funding in the amount of $110,242,536 will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the Federal Business Opportunities website, with three offers received. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity (N00024-20-C-5608).

Rockwell Collins Simulation and Training Solutions, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, is awarded a $26,526,245 modification (P00018) to previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract N61340-17-C-0014 for software modernization upgrades to the suite of the E-2D Hawkeye Integrated Training System tactics and flight trainer devices.  Work will be performed in Norfolk, Virginia, and is expected to be complete by December 2022. Fiscal 2020 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $26,526,245 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division, Orlando, Florida, is the contracting activity.

KPMG LLP, McLean, Virginia, is awarded a $9,798,753 time and material modification to support additional work during Option Period One under a previously awarded contract (N00189-18-F-Z425.) Work will be performed in Arlington, Virginia (75%); Oceanside, California (20%); Lejeune, North Carolina (2%); Okinawa, Japan (2%); and Oxford, Tennessee (1%), and provides financial improvement and audit readiness support services to the Deputy Commandant, Installation and Logistics. This includes audit remediation activities for plant, equipment and inventory related property and process reform within the Marine Corps Installation and Logistics and its supporting establishments associated with the Acquire-to-Retire, Plan-to-Stock, Procure-to-Pay and Order-to-Cash business mission areas. Work is expected to be complete by September 2020. This contract was transferred to the Marine Corps Installations Command Headquarters Contracting Office after it was awarded and assigned a new contract number (M95494-19-F-0045.) Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance (Navy) funds in the amount of $6,185,447 will be obligated at the time of award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Marine Corps Installations Command Headquarters Contracting Office, Arlington, Virginia, is the contracting activity. (Awarded March 26, 2020.)

Systems Planning & Analysis Inc., Alexandria, Virginia, is awarded a $7,036,704 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract N00030-20-C-0037 for technical engineering services and programmatic support for nuclear weapons surety (NWS) in the areas of policy, planning, analytical support to security, training, compliance, NWS incident response and safety engineering. Work will be performed in Alexandria, Virginia (80%); and Washington, District of Columbia (20%).  Work is expected to be complete by March 2021. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance (Navy) funds in the amount of $4,100,530 will be obligated on this award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract is being awarded to the contractor on a sole-source basis, in accordance with 10 US Code 2304(c)(1) and was previously synopsized on the Federal Business Opportunity website. Strategic Systems Programs, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity.

Test and Evaluation Services LLC., Herndon, Virginia, was awarded a $213,853,442 cost-no-fee, cost-plus-fixed-fee, firm-fixed-price contract for the deployment, operation and maintenance of a technical infrastructure for information operation environments. Bids were solicited via the internet with three received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Oct. 9, 2027. US Army Contracting Command, Orlando, Florida, is the contracting activity (W900KK-20-D-0012).

Northrup Grumman Systems Corp., Herndon, Virginia, was awarded a $53,500,000 modification (P00059) to contract W58RGZ-17-C-0014 for maintenance and services of airplanes. Work will be performed in Herndon, Virginia, with an estimated completion date of Feb. 28, 2027. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance, Army funds in the amount of $53,500,000 were obligated at the time of the award. US Army Contracting Commander, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity.

Grunley Construction Co. Inc., Rockville, Maryland, was awarded a $20,553,000 firm-fixed-price contract for exterior infrastructure and security improvements. Bids were solicited via the internet with five received. Work will be performed in Fairfield, Pennsylvania, with an estimated completion date of Aug. 22, 2022. Fiscal 2019 military construction, Army funds in the amount of $20,553,000 were obligated at the time of the award. US Army Corps of Engineers, Baltimore, Maryland, is the contracting activity (W912DR-20-C-0015).

Sauer Inc., Jacksonville, Florida, was awarded a $9,711,000 firm-fixed-price contract for the management of an access control point. Bids were solicited via the internet with six received. Work will be performed in Arlington, Virginia, with an estimated completion date of April 7, 2022. Fiscal 2010, 2016 and 2018 military construction, defense-wide funds in the amount of $9,711,000 were obligated at the time of the award. US Army Corps of Engineers, Baltimore, Maryland, is the contracting activity (W912DR-20-C-0014).

Booz Allen Hamilton Inc., McLean, Virginia, has been awarded a $23,361,698 modification (P00039) to previously awarded contract HR0011-16-F-0005 for enterprise support services. The modification brings the total cumulative face value of the contract to $119,076,169 from $95,714,471. Work will be performed in Arlington, Virginia, with an expected completion date of May 2021.  Fiscal 2020 research and development funds in the amount of $20,714,282 are being obligated at time of award. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Arlington, Virginia, is the contracting activity.