Friday, September 04, 2009

MILITARY CONTRACTS September 4, 2009

NAVY
Raytheon Missile Systems, Tucson, Ariz., is being awarded a $93,851,886 fixed price incentive fee, firm fixed price contract for the initiate low rate initial production of the fy09 Standard Missile-6 (SM-6) Block 1 all up rounds (AURs). This contract will provide for the procurement of 19 SM-6 Block 1 AUR's, 20 SM-6 Block 1 AUR instrumentation kits, and SM-6 Block I spares and containers. Work will be performed in Tucson, Ariz., (50 percent); Camden, Ark., (23 percent); Boston, Mass., (5 percent); Dallas, Texas, (4 percent); Hanahan, S.C., (3 percent); Anniston, Ala., (2 percent); San Jose, Calif., (2 percent); and other (11 percent), and is expected to be completed by March 2012. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington Navy Yard, D.C., is the contracting activity (N00024-09-C-5305).

The Whiting-Turner Contracting Co., Hampton Plaza, Baltimore, Md., is being awarded a $37,400,511 firm-fixed-price contract for the design and construction of an Operational Training Facility for Multi-Mission Aircraft (MMA/P-8A) at Naval Air Station Jacksonville. The facility includes space for 10 operational flight trainers (OFT), eight weapons tactics trainers, four part task trainers, support equipment, bridge cranes over the OFT devices, computer based training stations, internal and external network communication equipment, training media storage, maintenance support shops, administrative offices, student study rooms, briefing areas, communications closets, and secure compartmented information facilities. The contract also contains one unexercised option, which if exercised would increase cumulative contract value to $37,950,000. Work will be performed in Jacksonville, Fla., and is expected to be completed by June 2011. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively negotiated via the Navy Electronic Commerce Online website, with 21 proposals received in Phase One and seven Phase One offerors selected to proceed to Phase Two. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Southeast, Jacksonville, Fla., is the contracting activity (N69450-09-C-1291).

Explanation of bid protest and re-award of project: The Navy originally awarded a contract under Solicitation N69450-09-R-1257 (contract number N69450-09-C-1257) to DCK North America LLC (DCK) on July 1, 2009. However, on Jul. 13, 2009, Balfour Beatty Construction (Balfour) filed a bid protest with the Government Accountability Office (GAO) protesting the the Navy's award to DCK on multiple grounds. As a result of the government review of the protest, it was determined that the award to DCK be terminated and the source selection decision be re-evaluated. Based on this decision, GAO dismissed the protest on Aug. 5, 2009. As a result of the re-evaluation, the Source Selection Authority has determined that award be made to The Whiting-Turner Contracting Co., and that the contract previously awarded to DCK will be Terminated for Convenience.

BAE Systems Tactical Vehicle Systems LLP (BAE-TVS), Sealy, Texas, is being awarded a $31,159,415 firm-fixed-priced modification to a previously awarded contract (M67854-07-D-5030), delivery order #0003, for the purchase of field service representatives to support the necessary training for the 1,800 vehicles procured under this contract and to upgrade the entire CAIMAN fleet troops seats. The training will be performed at various locations throughout U.S. Central Command area of responsibility and the period of performance associated with this delivery order is expected to be completed by Sept. 30, 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The base contract was competitively awarded, and the new requirements are sole source additions to the contract. The Marine Corps Systems Command, Quantico, Va., is the contracting activity.

Clark Construction Group – Calif., LP, Costa Mesa, Calif., is being awarded a $27,694,000 firm-fixed-price contract for design and construction of a Regional Confinement Facility at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar. The facility will absorb prisoners from other correctional facilities scheduled for closure due to the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Act. Work will be performed in Miramar, Calif., and is expected to be completed by February 2011. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the Navy Electronic Commerce Online website, with five proposals received. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Southwest, San Diego, Calif., is the contracting activity (N62473-09-C-1808).

STS International, Inc., Berkeley Springs, W. Va., is being awarded a $23,330,787 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for operational capabilities for surface and subsurface surveillance systems (Quad-S). Quad S is a multifunction system that can be used in both military expeditionary operations and homeland security missions. Quad-S is a mobile, rapidly deployable, nonconventional, comprehensive surveillance system that through research, development, test, evaluation, and integration of state-of-the-art underwater, surface, and land-side maritime sensor/imaging systems will provide for surface vessel tracking systems; marine radar systems for locating and identifying unexpected approaching watercraft; underwater systems for the detection of swimmers and acoustic systems for the scanning of docks and ship hulls for underwater improvised explosive device detection. Work will be performed in Tampa, Fla., and is expected to be completed by September 2014. Contract funds will not expire at end of current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via Navy Electronic Commerce Online and Federal Business Opportunities websites, with three proposals received. The Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City Division, Fla., is the contracting activity (N61331-09-C-0020).

Lockheed Martin Maritime Systems and Sensors, Moorestown, N.J., is being awarded a $13,495,982 modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-03-C-5115) for management and engineering services to maintain and modify as necessary the design of DDG 51 Class combat system compartments and topside arrangements, in support of the program executive officer Integrated Warfare Systems. The required services for DDG 51 Class ships and CG 47 Class ships include program management and operation support, quality assurance, configuration management, ship design integration, fleet lifecycle engineering support, installation support, firmware maintenance, combat system test and evaluation, Navy furnished material support, special studies, and future-ship integration studies. Work will be performed in Moorestown, N.J. (37 percent); Bath, Maine, (25 percent); Pascagoula, Miss., (22 percent); San Diego, Calif., (6 percent); Washington, D.C., (5 percent); Norfolk, Va., (3 percent); Port Hueneme, Calif., (1 percent); and Syracuse, N.Y., (1 percent), and is expected to be completed by November 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington Navy Yard, D.C., is the contracting activity.
U.S. SPECIAL OPERATIONS COMMAND
GS Engineering Corporation of Houghton, Mich., is being awarded a $25,000,000 indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity task order contract for systems test support services of Special Operations Forces Ground Mobility vehicles in support of U.S. Special Operations Command Procurement Division. The majority of the work will be performed at the contractor's facility in Houghton, and is expected to be completed by Sept. 4, 2014. Approximately 40 task orders will be issued per year during the five year period of performance of this contract. This contract was awarded on a competitive basis as a Small Business Set-Aside action. The contract number is H92222-09-D-0050.

DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY
Sysco Hampton Roads, LLC, Suffolk, Va., is being awarded a maximum $15,875,000 fixed price with economic price adjustment, prime vendor contract for food and beverage support. There are no other locations of performance. Using services are Army, Air Force and Marine Corps. The original proposal was Web solicited with two responses. This contract is exercising the fourth option year period. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The date of performance completion is Sept. 4, 2010. The contracting activity is the Defense Supply Center Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pa., (SPM300-08-D-3146).

Face of Defense: Soldier Enjoys Helping Others

By Army Sgt. Frank Vaughn
Special to American Forces Press Service

Sept. 4, 2009 - Before she joined the Army, Staff Sgt. Katherine Fults felt her career options were limited to three things, none of which indicate an obvious path to the military. "To me, there were three things in life: teacher, nurse or nun," said Fults, who is deployed here as a flutist with the Minnesota National Guard's 34th Infantry Division band. The devout Catholic considered becoming a nun, but decided against it since she hoped to someday marry and have children. Ultimately, she decided to be a teacher.

"I used to play school all the time when I was a kid," said Fults, a resident of Burnsville, Minn. "I went with teacher because that seemed to be where my interest was."

Becoming a teacher wasn't hard, Fults said. The schooling and training gave her a working knowledge of the theories and concepts of operating a classroom and educating children, and she handled that part pretty well.

"My first couple of years actually teaching, though, were pretty hard," she said. "I went from theories to actual practice, which proved to be quite different things."

Fults added in her religious interests by becoming a third-grade teacher at a Catholic school in Minneapolis. Her military career was more serendipitous.

"When I was going through college I was the oldest child in our family and money was scarce," the 2000 graduate of University of North Dakota said. "The military was my ticket."

An active band member all through high school, Fults decided playing the flute in the Army was the way to go, so she enlisted on active duty. She served four years in Kaiserslautern, Germany, before returning to the United States.

While she initially intended for her military service to just carry her through college, Fults has found a renewed purpose for wearing her uniform, and in being a noncommissioned officer.

"I love being an NCO," she said, with a smile. "Even though I have a degree, I have no aspirations to leave the NCO Corps. The most important aspect of being an NCO, which I love, is taking care of people."

Fults said she's glad for the opportunity to do just that here in Iraq. "I am grateful for the experience," she said. "I think you can look for positives and negatives in anything, so I try to look for positives."

Fults said she has big plans when she returns from deployment. "I'm going to get in my car and travel the southwest United States with Peaches, my mixed-breed dog," she said with a laugh.

(Army Sgt. Frank Vaughn serves in the Multinational Division South public affairs office.)

What if veterans had a stronger voice

I could do this. Starting it wouldn't be a problem at all, but ending it would be. How could I do this when there is so much the veterans need? Where would I draw the line with all the reports I track and the veterans I help online?

Do I focus on the Vietnam veterans still waiting for help, fighting to not only have their claims approved, but still dealing with PTSD and Agent Orange, plus suicides, being in jail because the court systems across the country never stopped to consider them as combat wounded the way they do now? Yes, they are still in jail and most of them are in because of PTSD that no one was talking about.

Do I tell the stories of how they ended up homeless, saw their families fall apart, lost their jobs, or had to deal with co-workers thinking it was funny to set off a fire cracker or drop something behind their backs or say something they knew would get them ticked off?

Maybe I could do a story on how they came home, as outcasts, given up on by the American people, but they never gave up on us. They kept fighting to get the rest of us understand them and what they went through in our name, plus what they ended up having to live with when they came home. They kept giving us a chance waiting for the day when we would finally honor them, understand them and try to help them.

Do I write about the newer veterans and what they need out of us, which frankly is a hell of a lot more than words of "support the troops" when we can't seem to do much else?

Do I write about how they all serve together, Democrats, Republicans, Independents, from all walks of life, beliefs, faiths and races, but come home to a divided nation that places politics above all else?

Do I write about how they had to endure endless deployments with the topic of the day on the 24 hour cable news was fixated on celebrities while they were getting blown up because no one thought how to really plan the occupation of Afghanistan or Iraq? They didn't even have the equipment they needed but no one cared. The news stopped covering both military campaigns.

Do I write about the DOD or the VA or any of the problems with claims backlogged in a pile of almost a million, their families suffering with the lost income at the same time they are dealing with the fact the lifetime in the military they planned on was obliterated with combat wounds, physical and mentally? Hmm, then I'd have to figure out if I focus on them or their families with no clue, no support and no one to help them take care of their husbands and wives, fathers and mothers. Where would it end?

Then there is the other cluster when you have 95 million groups (exaggeration but close) all competing for money, grants and clout against each other instead of working together for the sake of the veterans they really do want to help, but have let their egos get in the way?

That's my dilemma. Starting it wouldn't be a problem at all. Deciding what is the most important story to me would be impossible.

How about you? You must have a favorite topic on this blog. I bet you know almost as much about it as I do so how about it? How about using your love, your talent, and coming up with a video project for CNN. You never know, you could change a life too. After all, there is no greater feeling in the world than to help someone, especially someone willing to die for you.

I do it all the time and to be honest, sometimes I want to scream about it to the world that "today I saved a life, then unloaded the dishwasher" because no matter what I'm able to do, life goes on and there are responsibilities I have just like everyone else. That's the point. So do they. No matter what they do when they are deployed, they still have to come home and do mundane things like take out the trash and go food shopping, pay bills, and everything else we all have to do during the day but for them, coming home never really feels like home. Tell their stories and make CNN know, they are a lot more interesting to us than Michael Jackson.

What if veterans had a stronger voice?

It’s a sad reality that war veterans are oftentimes forgotten in the United States once they return to their civilian lives. Economic struggles, homelessness and inadequate veterans benefits are just some of the problems they face.

But what would happen if veterans had a stronger voice in our society? Together, we can find out.

Grab a video camera and find a veteran – whether a relative, a resident at a nearby nursing home, or someone you just met – and ask about his or her biggest concerns.

If you don’t have access to a video camera, take photos of a veteran and write a short summary of your findings.

Try and keep the interview under three minutes and be sure to provide basic details about the veteran you profile.
Assignment rules:

Challenge: Interview a veteran

Format: Video (preferred) or photos with text

Length: No longer than three minutes

Deadline: Wednesday, September 9, 2009

go here to find out more
http://www.ireport.com/ir-topic-stories.jspa?topicId=323775

Jet Seller Earns Recognition as Top Employer

By John J. Kruzel
American Forces Press Service

Sept. 4, 2009 - A New Jersey-based company that specializes in selling and renting private business jets – and has employed dozens of military members – will receive the Defense Department's top award for the support it provides National Guard and Reserve members on its staff. As a testament to NetJets' devotion to its citizen-soldiers, the company this year received 23 nominations for award by their servicemember employees from all seven reserve-component branches.

"I wanted to nominate NetJets because of their enduring commitment to all of the men and women in uniform, especially those that are employed with NetJets," said John Gadjo, who serves as lieutenant colonel in the Marine Corps Reserve in addition to his job at NetJets. "They have supported my reserve duties over the years and have stood behind me with my most recent deployment."

Gadjo, who has worked at NetJets since 2002, was called up for active duty as a Marine aviator in 2004 for two years. He piloted AH-1W Super Cobras for HMLA-773 in support of combat missions in Afghanistan. Like the nearly two dozen other nominators, Gadjo received his salary and a pay differential during his deployment, and his family maintained their medical and life insurance benefits.

"They continued to stay in contact with my family and me and sent gift boxes to us while we were deployed," he added. "This was a great morale boost."

While their co-workers are on active duty, NetJets employees regularly raise money for care packages and financial assistance for deployed colleagues and their families. NetJets also coordinates homecoming receptions for deployed employees upon their return to the workplace and uses its Web site and company newsletters to share the latest news of deployed employees.

A brass plaque on display at NetJets headquarters proudly notes the names of all NetJets employees who have served or are serving aboard.

"NetJets also flew a Blue Star flag at their Columbus facility and continue to have a plaque in the owner's atrium with the names of employees that have and continue to serve overseas," Gadjo said, referring to the banner indicative of deployment.

NetJets will receive the Freedom Award along with 14 other companies in a ceremony here later this month. The Freedom Award, instituted in 1996 under the auspices of the National Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, recognizes U.S. employers that rise above the requirements of the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act.

"To me as a military member, and knowing what families go through in such times, this is extremely inspirational," Gadjo said. "It is very comforting and inspirational to know that the leaders that you are employed by understand that sometimes there are bigger things that must be attended to from time to time. NetJets continues to be a family that supports each other throughout all difficult times."

Gadjo said he was pleased to learn NetJets was on the list of companies to earn the department's award. "I was very happy to hear that NetJets would receive this award, because in my mind they are very deserving," he added. "Their support for all of us is second to none."

Task Force to Examine Suicide-Prevention Programs

By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service

Sept. 4, 2009 - A Defense Department-sponsored task force will examine the military's suicide-prevention programs to ascertain what works and what doesn't, a senior health official said yesterday. The military services provide a plethora of programs designed to help servicemembers and families cope with the stresses associated with wartime conflict and overseas deployments, said Mark Bates, clinical psychologist and interim director for the resilience and prevention directorate at the Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury.

The congressionally directed task force was established recently to provide the department "the best level of guidance on how to improve our suicide-prevention programs," Bates told reporters from American Forces Press Service and the Pentagon Channel.

The task force's 14 members were selected to represent a cross-section of military and civilian experts in policy, research, and clinical practices for suicide prevention, Bates said. Panel members, he added, will work closely with the services.

"Some of the ways that they'll go about recommending how we can improve our suicide-prevention practices would be looking at causal factors, looking at ways to enhance the programs and services that are in existence, and also looking at how we manage our data and how we protect the confidentiality of that data," he said.

The task force will work closely with the services' suicide-prevention program managers, Bates said, as well as the department's suicide-prevention and risk-reduction committee, which has representation from all four services and the reserve components.

The task force, Bates said, will report to the Defense Health Board, which reports directly to Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates.

The task force is to present its findings and recommendations within 12 months. Following review by the secretary, the task force's report and recommendations will be sent to Congress.

The names and biographies of the task force members are available on the Military Health Care Web site at http://www.health.mil/dhb/subcommittees-tfpsmaf.cfm. The members are slated to gather in Bethesda, Md., in early October for their first meeting.

The department provides a number of comprehensive and proactive suicide-prevention programs that promote resilience, facilitate recovery and promote reintegration, Bates said.

"We have extensive efforts under way, and this is on top of the high level of interest that the military has had for a long time in suicide prevention," he said. Servicemembers and families can obtain help by calling the around-the-clock Military OneSource (1-800-342-9647) and Centers of Excellence Outreach Center (1-866-966-1020) hotlines, or by accessing their Web sites. Servicemembers overseas should refer to the Military OneSource Web site for dialing instructions for their specific location.

"We want to increase access by providing a resource like this; it's very easy to get into," Bates said. The outreach center, he said, also is linked up with the Real Warriors Campaign, and features articles about servicemembers who have sought medical help in successfully confronting thoughts of suicide and in treating other mental-health issues.

The military wants troubled servicemembers to realize that there is no shame or stigma in seeking medical help for suicidal thoughts, post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury= and other issues.

"Probably one of the best ways of combating stigma," Bates said, "is to have peers talk about their experiences with the same issue."

Labor Day Weekend Golfers Help Troops, Families

By Air Force Master Sgt. Mike R. Smith
Special to American Forces Press Service

Sept. 4, 2009 - Air Force Maj. Dan Rooney knows that just a dollar or more added to your golf greens fees this Labor Day weekend can provide millions of dollars to help servicemembers and their families. Rooney, a professional golfer and an F-16 Fighting Falcon pilot with the Oklahoma Air National Guard, is the founder of Patriot Golf Day, a fundraiser that starts today and continues through Sept. 7.

Golfers will be asked at 5,000 participating golf courses if they want to add an extra buck to their greens fees to fund scholarships for disabled veterans and for families whose loved ones were killed in service to the nation.
American Express is matching all donations to this year's event on their credit cards, Rooney said.

"We are very excited," he said. "I encourage all of my brothers and sisters in arms to get out this weekend, because their country needs them, and what a neat way to get out and play golf."

Rooney organized the fundraiser two years ago after watching the remains of Army Spc. Brock Bucklin being carried off a commercial flight. The 28-year-old was killed in Balad, Iraq, on May 31, 2006.

"It will be forever burned in my soul," he told ABC-TV's World News in a 2008 "Person of the Week" interview. "As I walked down the jetway that night, I didn't realize it, but my life was going to change."

With the support of the Professional Golf Association and the U.S. Golf Association, commercial sponsors and thousands of Labor Day weekend golfers, he has helped raise more than $3 million for the cause.

In two years, more than 600 postsecondary educational scholarships have been awarded through the Patriot Golf Days' Folds of Honor Foundation.

A list of participating golf courses and other information is listed on the foundation's Web site at http://www.patriotgolfday.com.

Rooney's efforts earned him the President's Volunteer Service Award from President George W. Bush in September 2008.

"It's just a small seed that I planted," he said. "At its core, it's all grassroots, and a lot of people have gotten on board and made sure that their local golf courses are signed up and are participating. ... That's really why it works."