Tuesday, June 24, 2008

MILITARY CONTRACTS June 23, 2008

NAVY

Helix Electric, Inc.,
San Diego, Calif.,is being awarded a $52,687,000 firm-fixed-price contract for the FY08 MCON P-494, Harden Electrical System, Main Base, Agana, Guam. This design-build project will include the design and construction to the primary electrical distribution system serving critical operational facilities on the main base to mitigate damage caused by typhoons. Work will be performed in Guam, and is expected to be complete July 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured with 48 proposals solicited and six offers received. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Pacific, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, is the contracting activity (N62742-08-C-1305).

Boeing Aerospace Operations,
Oklahoma City, Okla., is being awarded a $28,873,959 cost-plus fixed-fee contract for non-recurring engineering, installation, and test of the Internet Protocol and Bandwidth Expansion (IPBE) Phase 1 on one E-6B aircraft. The purpose of the IPBE Phase 1 is to install commercial satellite and line of sight radio equipment to allow for increased data capabilities and global communications/Navigation, Surveillance and Air Traffic Management (CNS/ATM) on the E-6B aircraft. Work will be performed in Wichita, Kan. (84 percent); Oklahoma City, Okla. (14 percent); and Seattle, Wash. (2 percent), and is expected to be completed in March 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity (N00019-08-C-0053).

REDCOM Laboratories, Inc.,* Victor, N.Y., is being awarded a $16,758,760 firm-fixed-price contract to provide HDX-C Switching upgrade equipment and spares. Work will be performed in Victor, N.Y., and is expected to be completed by June 2010. Contract funds in the amount of $50,000 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured because it is a sole source procurement. The Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center, Charleston, S.C., is the contracting activity (N65236-08-D-3064).

DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY

U.S. Foodservice Lexington, Lexington, S.C. is being awarded a maximum $37,500,000.00firm fixed price, prime vendor contract for food and beverage support. Other location of performance is in South Carolina. Using services are
Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and Bamberg job Corp. The original proposal was Dibbs solicited with four responses. This contract is exercising the fourth option period. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The date of performance completion is June 19, 2009. The contracting activity is Defense Supply Center Philadelphia (DSCP, Philadelphia, Pa. (SPM300-08-D-3057).

ARMY

General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products, Burlington, Vt., was awarded on June 20, 2008, a $37,330,000 firm-fixed price contract for 387 Bradley reactive armor side skirts for the Bradley fighting vehicle system. Work will be performed in McHenry, Miss., and Burlington, Vt., and is expected to be completed by Nov. 30, 2009. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. One bid was solicited on June 4, 2008. U.S.
Army Joint Munitions & Lethality, Picatinny Arsenal, N.J., is the contracting activity (W15QKN-06-C-0143).

Harper Construction Company, Inc.,
San Diego, Calif., was awarded on June 19, 2008, a $12,497,265 firm-fixed price contract for the design and construction of battalion and brigade headquarters for a 31st Air Defense Artillery Brigade Complex. Work will be performed at Fort Sill, Okla., and is expected to be completed by Nov. 7, 2009. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Eight bids were solicited on Sept. 21, 2007, and six bids were received. U.S. Army Engineer District, Savannah, Ga., is the contracting activity (W912HN-08-D-0028).

FFEB JV, Metaire, La. was awarded on June 19, 2008, a $9,565,416 firm-fixed price contract for GeoTechnical Investigation and Report with soil borings and testing in support of hurricane protection office construction projects. Work will be performed in Plaquemines Parish, La., and is expected to be completed by Dec. 20, 2008. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Bids were solicited on March 21, 2008, and one bid was received. U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers, New Orleans, La., is the contracting activity (W912P8-07-D-0022).

International Business Machines Corp., Yorktown Heights, N.Y., was awarded on June 19, 2008, a $9,445,000 contract for research activities for language processing applications such as translation and distillation capabilities. Work will be performed in locations across the United States and is expected to be completed by June 19, 2009. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Bids were solicited on June 25, 2007, and 21 bids were received. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Arlington, Va., is the contracting activity (HR0011-08-C-0110).

AIR FORCE

The
Air Force is modifying a firm fixed price contract with Lockheed Martin Corp., Lockheed Martin Aeronautics of Fort Worth, Texas, not to exceed $18 million. This action will update the current Peace Onyx III contract/baseline, which is a comprehensive hardware and software aircraft modernization to the Turkish Block 30 C/D, 40 C/D, and 50 C/D aircraft. This effort supports foreign military sales to Turkey. At this time $9,000,000 (FMS Funds) has been obligated. Aeronautical Systems Center, 312 AESG/PKA, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8615-05-C-6002 P00021).

The Boeing Co., of
Wichita, Kan., is being awarded a cost plus fixed fee contract for $14,983,252. This action will accomplish aircraft integration system engineering studies to support development of critical technology required to enable airborne stand-off electronic attack. The technologies include low-band, high-power transmitting phased arrays, mid-band high-power transmitting phased arrays, and advanced exciters. At this time $4,050,000 has been obligated. AFRL/PKSE, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8650-08-C-1304).

America Supports You: Group Helps Family Members With Education

By Jamie Findlater
Special to American Forces Press Service

June 23, 2008 -
Military family members looking to further their education have a friend in a support organization called Thanks USA. "So many spouses appreciate the opportunity to go back to school and finish their education," explained Carolyn Ferek, Thanks USA's board secretary, said in an "ASY Live" interview on BlogTalkRadio.

"ASY Live" is part of America Supports You, a Defense Department program connecting citizens and companies with servicemembers and their families serving at home and abroad. Thanks USA is an America Supports You supporter.

Ferek said the focus of Thanks USA is different from that of many other scholarship-based organizations, because while it does focus on providing assistance to
military dependents, it also uniquely gears a lot of its funding toward spouses.

"It's not just for dependents," she said. "It's for spouses, because we feel like so many times the spouses are at home taking care of the families, and they are forced to put their career on hold."

When the organization was founded, Ferek explained, she could not find many organizations that focused on providing for spouses and dependents of current servicemembers based on their need. "Some offered them to
military families if there was a death or an injury, but ours isn't like that," she said. "We offer it as a need-based scholarship; we have educational scholarships for any branch of the military for college, technical and vocational schools."

Ferek cited a couple of people the organization has helped.

"I remember one person that wrote to us saying that she would be the first one in her family to have a
college education thanks to our program," Ferek said. "Another woman we helped down in Florida had just had a lung transplant, and still really wanted to go to college. She was just trying to get herself healthy, but she was just so positive and optimistic about her future and wanting to make a difference. So many of the scholarship winners want to give back to the community."

The organization has raised nearly $4 million and we has awarded more than 1,350 scholarships ranging from $1,000 to $5,000 dollars. "We have given scholarships to
military families all across the United States in all 50 states," Ferek said.

(Jamie Findlater, host of "ASY Live," works in the New Media directorate of the Defense Media Activity.)

Chairman Calls Homeless Veterans 'Hugely Important Issue'

By Army Staff Sgt. Michael J. Carden
American Forces Press Service

June 23, 2008 - Calling the issue "hugely important," the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff today said the nation must fully integrate efforts to help homeless veterans. "How do we reach out to them, and how do we create opportunities?"
Navy Adm. Michael G. Mullen asked an audience of about 200 members of various organizations that make up the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans in a speech at the Grand Hyatt Washington Hotel here.

"I consider [homeless veterans] to be a hugely important issue," Mullen said. "We need to do everything we can, as a country, to fully integrate our efforts to understand and help those – our veterans – who have given so much."

The coalition, which is holding its annual convention this week, is dedicated to strengthening and increasing funding for homeless veteran assistance programs, ranging from employment to housing issues. It provides information about program development and administration, as well as governance and funding guidance to all of the nation's homeless veteran service providers, according to the organization's Web site.

Mullen shared his appreciation for the coalition and its work.

"I am incredibly grateful for what you do and keeping [homeless veteran] issues bubbling; not just based on homeless veterans of [the
war on terror], but of the entire population and past wars," he said.

Mullen spoke about his generation of servicemembers and serving during the
Vietnam War era. Vietnam veterans make up a large percentage of the homeless veterans in the country, said Mullen, who received his commission in 1968.

He expressed his sympathy for the many homeless Vietnam veterans who weren't aware of post-traumatic stress syndrome and who have battled unemployment for years because of the disability. He also revealed his concern for veterans of more recent and current conflicts.

"One of the things I said when [operations in Iraq] started in 2003, 'As we go back to war and put so many people in harm's way, I would do all I can not to generate another generation of homeless veterans as we did when I was growing up with Vietnam,'" he said. "I had no clue in 2003 that I would eventually be in the position I am in now, but now that I am, I'm anxious to help."

Mullen reiterated his point that tackling the homeless veterans issue has to be a collective and integrated effort at the local and national levels among the government, society and nonprofit organizations, such as the coalition.

"The vision isn't anything without execution," Mullen said. "It has to be a team effort, and I'm truly grateful for what [the coalition] is doing."

The coalition's convention features workshops about issues such as public policy and current legislation pertaining to homeless veteran issues, reporting and regulation requirements for federal grants, and legal issues veterans may face.

The convention also will provide training groups focused on issues including employment resources for veterans, women veterans, early intervention and prevention of homelessness for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, incarcerated veterans.

Bush Commits Navy Support Following Philippines Typhoon

By Donna Miles

American Forces Press Service

June 24, 2008 - U.S. Pacific Command is moving quickly to support President Bush's promise to provide naval assets in the wake of a deadly typhoon in the Philippines that left more than 150 dead and hundreds missing. Bush expressed condolences to Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo during their White House meeting today and assured her the United States will move Navy assets to the area to assist. "We're happy to do it. We want to help our friends in time of need," Bush said.

The official death toll from the June 21 Typhoon Fengshen stands at 163, with about 800 more missing after the ferry Princess of the Stars capsized off Sibyauan. The typhoon also damaged more than 600,000 acres of farmland.

After her session with Bush, Arroyo met with Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates at the Pentagon and also visited Deputy Secretary of State John D. Negroponte.

Arroyo expressed thanks to the United States for its willingness to provide emergency aid to the Philippines "in this hour of need" during a news conference with Negroponte. "We are deeply grateful for the response by the U.S. government, including the U.S. Navy," she said.

Talking to reporters after their meeting, Bush said he congratulated Arroyo on her strong, effective stand on counterterrorism and her vision of peace for the region.