Trump Promises to End Sequestration
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President-elect Donald Trump has promised to do away with the federal spending caps known as sequestration, rollbacks that have hit the Defense Department particularly hard. Now he has to figure out how to make that happen, reports Military Times.
The Pentagon is accelerating developmental testing of the Navy’s high-tech, long-range Electro-Magnetic Rail Gun by expanding its platforms, reports Warrior. An Army Howitzer is now firing a super high-speed, high-tech electromagnetic Hyper Velocity Projectile.
Businessman Luis Quinonez as well as Cleveland Clinic CEO Toby Cosgrove, Trump’s most likely candidates to lead the embattled VA, have both withdrawn from consideration, reports Military Times. Meanwhile DefSec nominee retired Marine Corps Gen. James Mattis appears headed to confirmation, but likely following discussions about the importance of civilian control of the military, Military Times says.
The carrier Carl Vinson with its escorts and 7,500 sailors will deploy next week for a Western Pacific cruise, but is not expected to operate in the Persian Gulf, which is without a carrier until Bush arrives early next year, reports Navy Times.
Nine new ships are scheduled to join the US fleet this year, including four additions to the troubled Littoral Combat Ship program, the commissioning of the supercarrier Gerald R. Ford, two destroyers, and two submarines, reports Navy Times, kicking off Trump’s plan to increase the fleet to 350 ships.
Thomas McClay, Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division Total Asset Visibility (NAWCAD 6.8.3) competency manager, received the 2016 Daniel L. Nega Excellence in Logistics Leadership Award at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, reports smnewsnet.com.
In one of their first moves of the new Congress, House Republicans vote to gut their own independent ethics watchdog, reports Politico, dismantling major reforms and placing oversight of the office under the lawmakers themselves. But Trump tweeted his disapproval of the move, Politico reported later, and then in yet another follow-up reports, the proposal, approved behind closed doors Monday night, was reversed in an emergency House GOP conference called Tuesday by House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.).
Trump’s attack on warplane manufacturer Lockheed Martin could cut millions of dollars off Australia’s F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Program, reports newsx.com. Australia has rights to an additional 58 F-35s, and if Lockheed Martin cuts the price even by only five percent, it would create an overall saving of around $232 million.
Contracts:
Melwood Horicultural Training Center, Upper Marlboro, Maryland, was awarded a $9,946,163 firm-fixed-price contract for base maintenance of buildings. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work will be performed at Fort Meade, Maryland with an estimated completion date of June 30, 2017. Fiscal 2017 ‘operations and maintenance, Army’ funds in the amount of $9,946,163 were obligated at the time of the award. Army Contracting Command, Fort Belvoir, Virginia is the contracting activity (W91QV1-17-C-0005).
DynCorp International LLC, Fort Worth, Texas, is being awarded a $106,184,845 firm-fixed-price, cost-plus-fixed-fee contract to provide organizational level maintenance and logistic support on all aircraft and support equipment for which the Naval Test Wing Atlantic has maintenance responsibility. This maintenance responsibility includes all rotary, fixed, lighter-than-air, and unmanned aircraft on-site for project testing, transient aircraft, loaner aircraft, leased aircraft, and tested civilian aircraft assigned to the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Patuxent River, Maryland. In addition, labor and services will be provided to perform supportability/safety studies, off-site aircraft safety/spill containment patrols and aircraft recovery services. Work will be performed in Patuxent River, Maryland, and is expected to be completed in March 2018. Fiscal 2017 working capital fund (Navy) funds in the amount of $5,000 are being obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The contract was competitively procured via an electronic request for proposal; two offers were received. The Naval Air Systems Command Patuxent River, Maryland is the contracting activity (N00421-17-C-0033).
The Boeing Co., St. Louis, Missouri, is being awarded $308,343, 387 for modification P00004 to a previously awarded cost reimbursement contract (N00019-16-C-0032) to provide for the engineering change proposal (ECP) 6472 integration of Next Generation Jammer (NGJ) Pod onto the EA-18G aircraft. This effort is in support of the engineering and manufacturing development phase of the NGJ program and will include the design and manufacturing of 12 ECP 6472 A kits, and the integration, demonstration, and test of NGJ pods on the EA-18G Aircraft and equipment needed for System Integration Laboratories. Work will be performed in St. Louis, Missouri (89.43 percent); Bethpage, New York (8.47 percent); Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (1.16 percent); El Segundo, California (0.54 percent); Mesa, Arizona (0.20 percent); Fort Walton Beach, Florida (0.10 percent); and Annapolis-Junction, Maryland (0.10 percent), and is expected to be completed in December 2021. Fiscal 2017 research, development, testing and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $11,000,000 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.
QED Systems Inc., Virginia Beach, Virginia, is being awarded a $53,845,548 single award, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, cost-plus-fixed-fee contract that will include terms and conditions for the placement of both cost-plus-fixed-fee and firm-fixed-price task orders for ships’ engineering and planning support services to support Commander Naval Air Forces in its mission of aircraft carrier maintenance and modernization, advanced planning, and work package development, integrations, and execution. This is a five-year performance base period contract with a six-month option period which if exercised, brings the total estimated value to $59,440,148. Work will be performed in Norfolk, Virginia (40 percent); San Diego, California (40 percent); and Bremerton, Washington (20 percent), and work is expected to be completed by January 2022. Fiscal 2017 operations and maintenance (Navy) funds in the amount of $500,000 will be obligated at the time of award to fund the contract’s minimum amount and funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured with the solicitation posted to the Federal Business Opportunities website, with one offer received. Naval Supply Systems Command Fleet Logistics Center Norfolk, Contracting Department, Norfolk Office, Pennsylvania, is the contracting activity (N00189-17-D-0003).
Booz Allen Hamilton Inc., McLean, Virginia was awarded a $12,973,510 modification (P00020) to contract W15QKN-14-C-0032 for continuation of system engineering and technical assistance support services for 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, 2017. Fiscal 2017 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $2,000,000 were obligated at the time of the award. Army Contracting Command, Picatinny Arsenal, New Jersey, is the contracting activity.
Leidos Inc., Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, was awarded a competitive, hybrid contract that consists of cost-plus-incentive-fee, cost-plus-fixed-fee, and cost-reimbursable (without fee) contract types to provide a modernized Advanced Field Artillery Tactical Data Systems solution in support of the Army Program Executive Office Command, Control, Communication-Tactical mission requirements. The face value of this action is $58,055,265 and is funded by fiscal 2016 and 2017 research, development, test and evaluation funding. The total cumulative life-cycle value of the contract is $98,126,280. Performance will be at the contractor’s site. Proposals were solicited via the Federal Business Opportunities website, and four proposals were received. The period of performance (PoP) consists of a three-year base, with one two-year optional contract line item number (CLIN), for a total contract lifecycle of five years. The PoP for the base period is Dec. 30, 2016 -Dec. 29, 2019; the optional CLIN PoP is Dec. 30, 2019 -Dec. 29, 2021. The Defense Information Technology Contracting Organization, Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, is the contracting activity (HC1028-17-C-0001).
Niksoft Systems Corp., Reston, Virginia, was awarded a three-year (base year and two option years) firm-fixed-price contract for an estimated $26,980,609. This contract, HT0011-17-F-0004, provides for program management support for Defense Health Agency (DHA), Solutions Delivery Division applications migrating to Defense Information Systems Agency capacity services. The period of performance began Dec. 15, 2016 and runs through Dec. 14, 2019, if both option years are exercised. The purpose of the contract is to provide information technology and program management support services, operations, planning, scheduling, coordination, and support for the efficient and successful migration of applications and products currently housed on DHA equipment to the Defense Information Systems Agency capacity services. Among the required tasks includes the creation and update of all related system lifecycle and operational documentation/processes and facilitating appropriate technical reviews, as appropriate, for all migrating systems prior to, during, and after migration. This was competed using fair opportunity against the General Services Administration 8(a) STARS II government-wide acquisition contract. Fiscal 2017 operations and maintenance funds were obligated for the base year of this contract. Subsequent option years will be awarded using appropriate year operations and maintenance funds. This contract was awarded by the DHA Contracting Operations Division in Falls Church, Virginia on Dec. 15, 2016.
UPDATE: Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) was unable to award the Gen 3 Lightweight Helmet Mounted Display System modification to Lockheed Martin as announced Dec. 22, 2016, because the action is dependent on the announcement of a foreign military sales (FMS) modification. The FMS modification adds funds to the same Lockheed Martin contract; the section A and section G amounts in our modification are based on the new contract values added by the FMS modification. The FMS effort was supposed to be announced December 22, however, it has been submitted for announcement on Dec. 29. NAVAIR will award this action immediately after the FMS modification is executed.
Raytheon Co.-IDS, Andover, Maryland, was awarded a $163,272,761 firm-fixed-price, foreign military sales (Qatar) contract for integrated air and missile defense; related miscellaneous training; english language training; a series of pre-PATRIOT military occupational specialty and Qatar specific PATRIOT training classes to the Qatar Emeri Air Force service members who are identified for the program. Bids were solicited via the Internet with one received. Work will be performed in Qatar with an estimated completion date of April 30, 2020. Fiscal 2016 other funds in the amount of $81,636,381 were obligated at the time of the award. Army Contracting Command, Fort Bragg, North Carolina, is the contracting activity (W91247-16-C-0017).
Carahsoft Technology Corp., Restin, Virginia, was awarded a $23,900,219 firm-fixed-price contract for a program manager license agreement to acquire proprietary brand name, commercial off-the-shelf VMware vSphere enterprise plus, vCenter for vSphere, NSX and workstation software licenses to support the virtualization and management of the program manager warfighter information networks-tactical server infrastructure. Bids were solicited via the Internet with four received. Work will be performed in Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, with an estimated completion date of Dec. 30, 2018. Fiscal 2015 and 2016 other procurement (Army) funds in the amount of $9,079,919 were obligated at the time of the award. Army Contracting Command, Rock Island Arsenal, Illinois, is the contracting activity (W52P1J-17-F-9999).
