DoD Contracts for Free YMCA Membership for Deployed Guard and Reserve Families

The Department of Defense announced October 1 that families of deployed members of the National Guard and Reserve, active duty service members on independent duty and their families, and active duty service members and their families assigned to selected bases would be eligible for free family memberships at participating YMCAs in their local community.

The new program, which is effective immediately, was unveiled in a signing ceremony presided by Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness David S.C. Chu. Also signing the document was Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs Thomas F. Hall and the Executive Director of the Armed Services YMCA, retired Navy Rear Adm. Frank Gallo.

"We know these programs are key to personal health and well-being, help build strong families, and reduce stress and feelings of isolation," Chu said. "I am extremely pleased to announce our new partnership."

The free YMCA memberships for Guard and Reserve families will be available while the service member is deployed for a minimum of six months. The deploying service member will also be eligible for three months pre- and post-deployment membership to help promote family participation.

Active duty families assigned to independent duty stations, such as recruiting and ROTC assignments and not currently receiving support from the service component will also be eligible for free memberships at participating YMCAs. Single service members are eligible for fitness center memberships up to $50 a month.

Active duty families at selected bases will also be eligible for free YMCA memberships as part of a pilot program. Memberships will be issued on a first come, first served basis with 300 to 450 family memberships available per joint base location.

The selected bases are: Lackland Air Force Base/Randolph AFB/Ft. Sam Houston, Texas; Langley AFB, Va.; McCord Air Force Base/Ft. Lewis, Wash.; Ft. Carson, Colo.; Pearl Harbor/Hickam AFB, Hawaii; Naval Weapons Station, Charleston S.C.; McGuire AFB/Ft. Dix/ Lakehurst Naval Air Engineering Station, N.J.; Anacostia Naval Air Station /Bolling AFB, Washington, D.C.; Ft. Myer/Henderson Hall, Va.; Elmendorf AFB/Ft. Richardson, Alaska; and Andrews AFB/Naval Air Facility D.C., Md.

Additionally, 32 hours a month of free respite child care will be available for families of deployed National Guard and Reserve and geographically dispersed active duty service members in 10 states with YMCA child care programs preapproved by DoD.

Respite Child Care is currently available at participating YMCAs in the following ten states: Indiana, Maryland, Montana, North Carolina, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia and Washington. DoD is working with the Armed Services YMCA on ways to expand the number of YMCA child care programs eligible to offer respite care in order to meet this critical need.

Participating YMCAs have agreed to cap their monthly fees and waive all joining fees so there is no cost for service members and their families for membership. Some classes may have fees associated with them and if so, the service member will be responsible for those costs.

"Since the Civil War, the Armed Services YMCA has been committed to supporting our troops and improving their quality of life," said Gallo. "This new initiative will go a long way to help America's military families live healthy lives."

Signing up for the program requires a YMCA/DoD eligibility form, a copy of deployment orders and military ID. The YMCA/DoD eligibility form is available at http://www.miltaryonesource.com/ . A completed eligibility form, a copy of deployment orders (where applicable) and the military ID are all that are needed for the local YMCA to process memberships.

DoD, INOVA Partner To Employ Military Spouse

The Department of Defense and Inova Health System joined in a partnership yesterday to promote access to training and healthcare jobs for the husbands and wives of active duty service members.

Inova, a not-for-profit health care system based in Northern Virginia, employs more than 15,000 people in hospitals, nursing homes, emergency and urgent care centers in the area.

We have a national shortage of allied health professionals across the countries, and we have spouses looking for positive, portable careers" said Leslye Arsht, deputy under secretary of defense for military community and family policy. "Inova health services is making a concrete commitment to military spouses who are interested in the allied health field."

The public-private partnership is a pilot program designed to benefit both parties. Inova seeks to attract and develop military spouses into careers in critical healthcare occupations. The partnership is also designed to support military spouses currently in the healthcare and nursing professions who might not otherwise remain in those jobs while their spouse is in the military. Today's military spouses represent a significant, young, diverse and well-educated component of America's labor force.

Inova will work with the DoD, community and professional partners to launch a national Military to Medicine program. Education, training and certification and licensure in portable career fields will greatly increase their employment opportunities and reduce the period of time between moves that spouses are unemployed.

If this effort is successful" said Arsht, "then we'll take this method to other hospital systems throughout the country. What we'd really like to see over time, is that if we have a cadre of spouses...we can eventually help them move from one system to another. And that's really part of the effort here...to help spouses choose a successful career that's in high demand and portable to help them connect to the next employer as they move around."

For the 675,000 spouses of active duty service members, careers can be difficult to manage due to the frequency of moves throughout a military career. DoD surveys show 77 percent of spouses reporting they need or want to work.

The Inova partnership with DoD follows a similar agreement between Inova and the U.S. Army Reserve that provides new Army Reserve soldiers opportunities for employment at Inova Health System facilities once they successfully complete military occupational training in areas of critical clinical support. DoD has also entered into a partnership with RE/MAX, the nationwide reality firm, to provide military spouses with training and licensure for careers in real estate, and with the Association for Healthcare Documentation Integrity (AHDI) and the Medical Transcription Industry Association (MTIA), to promote medical transcription as a mobile career of choice to thousands of military spouses nationwide.

Military spouses who are interested in working in any of the Inova Health System facilities in the Northern Virginia area, or have experience in the health care or allied health fields, are invited to visit Inova's Web site at www.inova.org/careers and apply for the position(s) that are of interest.

Once they have applied, they can expect to receive an email confirmation. Should any questions arise, military spouses are encouraged to send an email to: HRIS@inova.org. This email address has been created specifically for military spouses to address questions or concerns, and will be checked daily by Inova Health System human resources staff dedicated to military spouse recruitment.

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

Oct. 3, 2008 - The Senate confirmed Air Force Lt. Gen. Craig R. McKinley yesterday to receive his fourth star and to serve as the 26th chief of the National Guard Bureau. McKinley, the current director of the Air National Guard, will become the first four-star general in the nearly 372-year history of the National Guard.

Nominated for the post in September by President Bush, McKinley will succeed Army Lt. Gen. H Steven Blum, whom the Senate also confirmed yesterday to become the first National Guard officer to serve as deputy commander of U.S. Northern Command. Blum has led the Guard Bureau since 2003.

As chief of the National Guard Bureau, McKinley will be the senior uniformed officer representing nearly 468,000 citizen-soldiers and -airmen. He will also serve as the principal advisor to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on National Guard issues.

"I give all the credit for [this promotion] to the performance, friendships and relationships of [Blum]," McKinley said Sept. 22 at the National Guard Association of the United States conference in Baltimore. "Lt. Gen. H Steven Blum has been a fantastic chief of the National Guard Bureau."

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates recommended McKinley for the upgraded four-star position in July following the recommendations of the Commission on the Guard and Reserves and the fiscal 2008 National Defense Authorization Act. The act also established the Guard Bureau as a joint activity of the Defense Department.

"General McKinley has earned this place in history," Gates said during the NGAUS conference. "I trust he will continue to lead the Guard to new heights."

A Florida National Guard member, McKinley has served as director of the 107,000-member Air National Guard since May 2006. Prior to that, he served as assistant deputy chief of staff for plans and programs at Air Force headquarters. He is a command pilot with more than 34 years of military service.

The last Air Force general to serve as Guard Bureau chief was Lt. Gen. Russell C. Davis, who held the position from 1998 to 2002.

A date has not been set for McKinley's promotion and assumption of office, bureau officials said.

(Air Force Master Sgt. Mike R. Smith serves at the National Guard Bureau.)

Face of Defense: Civilian Remembered for 'Giant Heart'

By Tim Hipps
Special to American Forces Press Service

Oct. 3, 2008 - Affectionately known as "Big Jim," James McCrindle had a Paul Bunyan-sized heart when it came time for taking care of soldiers and their families as general manager of the Armed Forces Recreation Center's "Shades of Green" facility on the Walt Disney World resort in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. Army Maj. Gen. John A. MacDonald, commander of the U.S. Army Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation Command, referred to McCrindle – who died of cancer June 1 at age 68 -- as a "mountain of a leader" who crafted a "success beyond success" story into a "soldier and family paradise."

"We are surrounded by the results of Jim's lifelong craft and the product of his vision and leadership," MacDonald said June 5 during a memorial service at Shades of Green. "We have reasons to grieve, but we have so many reasons to celebrate what a difference one person can make in our world."

McCrindle posthumously received a presidential citation signed by President Bush and the Installation Management Command's Stalwart Award for extraordinary achievement, dedication to excellence and inspirational team spirit.

McCrindle was buried Aug. 1 at Arlington National Cemetery, and friends and admirers noted it is fitting that his final resting place is among the servicemembers he dedicated his career to serving.

In 1988, McCrindle became the first civilian manager of the Armed Forces Recreation Center in Europe – known today as Edelweiss Lodge and Resort – when the Army became responsible for the center. Four years later, after the fall of the Berlin Wall signaled a massive redeployment of soldiers and families from Europe, McCrindle returned to America on a temporary duty assignment to help develop an unprecedented plan for an Armed Forces Recreation Center on U.S. soil.

A study conducted at Louisiana State University determined that Orlando, Fla., was the most desired destination. Within four years, land was leased on Walt Disney World Resort property, and Shades of Green opened its doors to U.S. military personnel.

"It is truly a house that Jim built," said Peter F. Isaacs, who in the early 1990s tasked McCrindle to convert the Cunnard Princess cruise ship into a destination for rest and recuperation leave in Bahrain for troops deployed to operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm.

McCrindle made building inside the Magic Kingdom seem like child's play – or better yet, a labor of love, said Isaacs, former chief operating officer of the U.S. Army Community and Family Support Center.

"Whenever there was a need to plan, refine or develop a program for the benefit of soldiers, 'Send me' was Jim McCrindle's mantra," Isaacs said. "He was a leader, a mentor, an educator who left an indelible mark on everyone he knew. He was as comfortable discussing the nuances of food preparation with a chef, or planning building maintenance with an engineer, or carpet maintenance with a housekeeper, as he was discussing the nuances of million-dollar businesses with senior officers and members of Congress."

McCrindle's experience as a soldier shaped his commitment to serving soldiers, which became the hallmark of a brilliant life, said Isaacs, who watched McCrindle's career skyrocket from the moment he become the first nonappropriated-funds civilian employee in the Army's management trainee program.

"The day I met Jim, I knew I was in the presence of an exceptionally talented, an exceptionally driven and exceptionally brilliant young man, and I was destined to learn more from him than he would ever learn from me," recalled Isaacs, then a young major in the Army. "For the next 27 years, we worked together in various capacities, and I was proud and fortunate to have counted Jim McCrindle as a friend."

Charles S. Abell, former principal deputy undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness, donned a Boston Red Sox baseball cap in McCrindle's honor while speaking at the remembrance ceremony.

"We all know that Jim was very proud of the citrus-tree ownership scam," Abell said, eliciting a roar of laughter that filled the room. "But he would never admit that it was a scam. I'm sure today that he's watching us, hoping that we all go walk down to the grove at the same time."

Abell's inside joke referred to McCrindle's plan to build a citrus grove where soldiers could "own" a tree. It is just one of many tall tales about the man, "some true, some that should be," as Abell put it, adding that "most of what Jim said was true, or it should have been."

From that adage alone, one almost can envision the type of personality McCrindle exuded.

Abell revealed that McCrindle personally signed more than 2,200 letters of apology to servicemembers and their families because he could not honor their reservations to spend the 2003 holiday season at Shades of Green because the grand re-opening of the resort was delayed until 2004. It was McCrindle's idea to nearly double the occupancy of the hotel from 286 to 587 rooms, and he felt responsible that the resort could not honor the reservations.

"What a guy," Abell said. "More ideas than a platoon of folks could come up with."

Ideas like converting the "19th Hole" lounge into a bona fide restaurant, celebrating Oktoberfest in Florida, planting the citrus grove in which guests could own trees, supporting the Children's Miracle Network Classic PGA Tour golf event, and perhaps most important, making folks feel at home.

Brian Japak, who succeeded McCrindle as Shades of Green general manager, served as McCrindle's assistant throughout his 14-year tenure and said he plans to continue the legacy of providing top-notch hospitality.

"Having been enlisted in the Army, he knew all the slang and all the different gestures," Japak said. "He was quick to pick up on all the military language. Having traveled around to bases in the States and having been on assistance teams in Europe, no matter where they say they came from, chances are he had been on that base and could relate something with them and established that right off the bat."

Eighteen of 80 employees on the Shades of Green's opening-day staff in 1994 still work at the resort.

"Clearly, when he passed -- and passed suddenly -- it affected the whole operation here," Japak said. "He probably knew every person who worked here by name and could relate to them. Fortunately, IMCOM sent down a chaplain's team for grief counseling, and that really, really helped. The big decisions and the big directions are set, so right now we're in a refining mode and just looking for opportunities to make it better."

For some folks, Big Jim's laugh will continue to echo across the Palm and Magnolia golf courses that surround the Shades of Green facility.

"Jim always saw the humor in any situation," Isaacs said. "I'm going to miss Jim greatly. The world, for me, is going to be a much drabber place without Jim McCrindle. It will be less interesting without Jim McCrindle. And the thousands and thousands of soldiers and family members who never knew Jim's name aren't going to get a chance to thank him for all he did for them."

MacDonald echoed the sentiment. "I stayed at Shades of Green many times, and as we all felt, Jim treated us not like guests but like royalty," he said. "In fact, I think he treated our soldiers even better because he knew just how important a few days from the front lines this slice of paradise was."

(Tim Hipps works in the U.S. Army Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation Command Public Affairs Office.)

America Supports You: Search for Top Military Spouse Nears End

American Forces Press Service

Oct. 3, 2008 - Time is running out to nominate outstanding military spouses for Military Spouse magazine's 2009 Military Spouse of the Year award. As the Oct. 8 deadline approaches, 252 Army spouses had been nominated at last count, along with 74 Navy and 70 Air Force spouses. The Coast Guard, with 22 nominations, was edging out the Marine Corps by one nominee.

"This award is MSM's opportunity to thank all military spouses for their invaluable contributions, in addition to recognizing them for the challenges they overcome every day," said Babette Maxwell, the magazine's co-founder and executive editor.

The Military Spouse of the Year honoree represents millions of unsung heroes who maintain the home front, give selflessly to their communities and provide support to the nation's troops, Maxwell said. Often, these spouses also have full-time jobs and raise families, she noted.

The winner will make additional public appearances, write a monthly column to appear in Military Spouse magazine, and maintain a blog during his or her reign, which will last through May 2010.

Last year's award generated hundreds of nominations from across the country, culminating in the selection of Army wife Chelle Brewer as military Spouse of the Year for 2008.

Nominees must be the spouse of a current member of the U.S. armed forces. Criteria for selecting the winner include impact on community change, volunteerism, personal sacrifice, education and career pursuits and other military spouse-related efforts.

Nominations can be made online at www.msoy.milspouse.com, and must be received by Oct. 8.

The winner will be announced nationally in the magazine's June issue and will be honored during the second annual military Spouse of the Year awards ceremony here in conjunction with National Military Spouse Appreciation Week in May.

The Military Spouse of the Year award is sponsored by USAA, a financial services company that serves military members and their families.

"The reason USAA exists is to help military families with their financial security and the peace of mind that brings – especially to the military spouse who shoulders so much responsibility," said Joe Robles, USAA's chief executive officer and a retired major general. "I know I couldn't have done what I did for the Army if my wife, Patty, hadn't taken care of everything else.

"Being the title sponsor of this award is a natural for us. We feel honored to honor military spouses," he added.

USAA is a corporate supporter of America Supports You, a Defense Department program connecting citizens and companies with servicemembers and their families serving at home and abroad.

Mullen Stresses Leadership, Accountability in Business School Speech

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

Oct. 3, 2008 - A year and a day after taking office as the nation's 17th chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Navy Adm. Mike Mullen spoke about leadership to the students of the Wharton Business School here last night. Mullen spoke about what his 40 years in the U.S. military have taught him about leadership, telling the students he never intended to make the Navy a career, but got around great people who helped to open his eyes.

The chairman stressed accountability to the packed auditorium. The admiral said he was seven weeks into a 10-week course on leadership at Harvard University in 1991 before anyone even mentioned accountability.

"I didn't understand that," he said, "because leadership ... is about understanding accountability – being held accountable and at the same time holding yourself accountable."

Mullen told the students that his arrival at the U.S. Naval Academy in 1964 was an eye-opener.

"I was 17 years old and had been out of [California] once in my life," Mullen said. Meeting and working with midshipmen from around the country was a learning experience, he said.

Being in the military offered him the opportunity to see the world, the admiral said, but most importantly, it offered the opportunity to lead.

"It gave me an awful lot of responsibility when I was very young," Mullen said. "And the Navy kept feeding me these positions my entire life."

In the military, Mullen told the students, command is the lodestone for leaders. "It's the pinnacle," he said, adding that accountability is fundamental to the joy and challenge of command because commanders find themselves having to put together teams to accomplish the missions they are assigned.

Command is built around trust – both up and down – and hinges on choosing the right people, Mullen said. The hardest job he has had in his 40 years in the military has been selecting personnel for the various missions, he told the audience.

Few people succeed by just "winging it," the chairman said. He urged the young men and women to have a strategic plan and follow it. Leaders without a strategy or a plan are the ones who fail, he said.

Mullen urged the students not to fear failure. "I learned more from when I failed than when I succeeded," he said, "but I wouldn't recommend failing as much as you can so you can learn."

If failure occurs, people should get up, dust off and get moving again, Mullen said. "Then it becomes, Do you have the depth, do you have the reputation, do you have the mentorship to succeed?" he said.

Mullen told of two of his own failures, one as a young officer and one when he was a bit more senior. He expressed his gratitude for mentors who didn't give up on him then, and gave him the chance to continue, rather than firing him. "I learned a great deal from that experience alone," he said.

Leaders have to change and grow, the chairman said. "If you're not growing, you're dead," he said. "The questions become, How do you stimulate growth, and how do you reach for the right kind of growth?"

The chairman – the highest-ranking officer in the U.S. military – said he continues to grow. He continues to learn about the other services, he said -- especially the Army, which he calls the center of gravity for the U.S. military. He tries to learn best practices from private businesses and from subject-matter experts in such critical areas as cyber-defense, he told the audience.

The speed of today's world complicates leadership, Mullen said, as new technologies exchange information at the speed of light. "How do we keep up to the speed of light?" he asked. "We better be able to, especially because being No. 2 in the business I'm in is not a great outcome."

Leaders will succeed only if they are willing to work hard, and are willing to adapt, the chairman said.

Information is crucial to military and business success, Mullen said, but he noted that the more senior a leader becomes, the more removed he or she is from what's really going on.

A leader "has to have people that will tell you the truth," he said.

Finally, Mullen said, empathy is important for leaders. He said he finds it helpful to look at problems in areas such as Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iraq through the eyes of the people who live there. He visits the areas, speaks to the leaders and listens to them. "My growth in this job is tied to that," he said.

Integrity and duty are not just words, the chairman said, and accountability is not an abstract concept.

"You will have to walk the walk," he said. "You are what we will become in the future."

MILITARY CONTRACTS October 3, 2008

Navy

John C. Grimberg Co., Inc., Rockville, Md.; The Haskell Co., Jacksonville, Fla.; Hourigan Construction Corp., Richmond, Va.; Archer Western, Chicago, Ill.; and M.A., Mortenson, Minneapolis, Minn., were each awarded an indefinite delivery indefinite quantity multiple award construction contract on Sept, 30, 2008, for administrative construction type projects at Navy and Marine Corps installations within the NAVFAC Mid-Atlantic area of responsibility, including Maine, N.H., N.Y., N.J., Pa., R.I., Conn., Mass., Vt., Del., N.C., Va., and W.Va. The work to be performed provides for new construction, demolition, alteration repair, for administrative buildings, systems and infrastructure and may include Civil, structural, mechanical, electrical, and communication systems. The maximum dollar value for all five contracts combined is $450,000,000. John C. Grimberg is being awarded task order #0001 at $7,950,000 for interior/exterior repairs to Building 705 and 706 at Norfolk Naval Shipyard, Portsmouth, Va. Work for this task order is expected to be completed by Dec. 2009. The task order also contains one unexercised option, which if exercised would increase the cumulative value of the task order to $8,350,000. All work on this contract will be performed at various Navy and Marine Corps facilities in the Hampton Roads area (80 percent), North East area (10 percent), and N.C., area (10 percent). The term of the contract is not to exceed 60 months, with an expected completion date of Sept. 2013. Contract funds for task order #0001 will not expire at the end of Fiscal Year 2008. This contract was competitively procured via the Navy Electronic Commerce Online website, with 17 proposals received. These five contractors may compete for task orders under the terms and conditions of the awarded contract. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Mid-Atlantic, Norfolk, Va., is the contracting activity (N40085-08-D-9736/9737/9738/9739/9740).

Pacific Program-Design Management Services J/V, Pasadena, Calif., was awarded a firm fixed price, indefinite delivery indefinite quantity architect/engineer contract with a maximum amount of $100,000,000 for Program Support Services for various projects covered by the Defense Policy Review Initiative and other projects in the NAVFAC Pacific area of responsibility. The work to be performed provides for program management support services, design management support services and other support services including, but not limited to, planning support, Geographical Information System support, surveying support, real estate support and environmental support. Task Order #0001 at $5,285,840 to provide support to NAVFAC Pacific in managing the DPRI program and other projects under the cognizance of NAVFAC Pacific at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, was awarded. Work for this task order is expected to be completed by Sept. 2009. Contract funds in the amount of $5,285,840 expired at the end of Fiscal Year 2008. The primary project locations for work on this contract are in Guam, (80 percent), Hawaii, (10 percent), and may include work in the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands, (7 percent), and locations anywhere in the Pacific and Indian Oceans (NAVFAC Pacific's AOR) (3 percent), and is expected to be completed by Sept. 2013. This contract was competitively procured via the Navy Electronic Commerce Online website, with six proposals received. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Pacific, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, is the contracting activity (N62742-08-D-0009).

orrester Construction Co., Rockville, Md., was awarded a $63,046,000 firm fixed price contract on Sept. 30, 2009, for the modernization of Building W200 at the Washington Navy Yard. The work to be performed provides for the full building renovation and modernization of Building W200 including programming, design, base building renovations, and fit out of all tenant spaces, relocating the Naval Criminal Investigative Service to temporary swing space, demolishing elevated crosswalk to Building 219, and the addition of 240 parking spaces to Garage 405. The existing building consists of 21,461 gross square meters of primarily office space, teaching spaces, and storage spaces. The total area for this facility at the conclusion of renovations will provide 25,983 gross square meters in Building W200 of primarily office space. The contractor will provide all project management, labor, supervision, tools, materials, equipment and transportation necessary to perform the requirements. Work will be performed in Wash., D.C., and is expected to be completed by Oct. 2010. Contract funds in the amount of $17,120,940 will expire at the end of Fiscal Year 2008. This contract was competitively procured via the Navy Electronic Commerce Online website with three proposals received. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Washington, Wash., D.C., is the contracting activity (N40080-08-C-0029).

Correction: Contract awarded Sept. 30, 2008, to Kira, Inc., Miami, Fla., should have indicated that they are a small business.

Army

Northrop Grumman Technical Services, Sierra Vista Garden Cannon, Ariz., was awarded Oct. 1, 2008, a $47,530,000 cost plus fixed price contract for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance surge requirement. Work will be performed in Sierra Vista Garden Cannon, Ariz., with estimated and completion date of Apr. 30, 2015. One bid was solicited and one bid was received. The U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command, Redstone Arsenal, Ala., is the contracting activity (W58RGZ-08-C-0025).

TtecEC-Tesoro Join Venture, Norcross, Ga., was awarded on Sept. 30, 2008, a $34,273,000 firm fixed price contract. The purpose of this project is to completely renovate, restore and modernize the late 1960's era barracks at Fort Gordon, Georgia Buildings to present day barracks standards. Work will be performed in Fort Gordon, Ga., with an estimated completion date of Jan. 25, 2010. Four bids were solicited and three bids were received. US Army Engineer District, Fort Gordon, Ga., is the contracting activity (W912HN-07-D-0058).

Lockheed Martin Corp., Orlando, Fla., was awarded Sept. 30, 2008, a $31,351,426 firm-fixed-price contract to award of US Army/Air Force and Un-manned Aerial Systems M299 Launchers Electronic Assemblies (LEAs) and associated spares. Work will be performed in Orlando, Fla., with estimated and completion date of April 30, 2015. The U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command, Redstone Arsenal, Ala., is the contracting activity. (W31P4Q-07-C-0154).

Kellogg, Brown & Root Services Inc, Houston Texas, was awarded Oct. 1, 2008, a $29,408,968 firm fixed price contract for Fiscal Year 2008 Task order 0016, Kosovo Support Services. Work will be performed in Heidelberg, Germany, Houston, Texas, Kosovo, Romania and Bulgaria, with estimated and completion date of Jul. 31, 2011. Sixty-six bids were solicited and three bids were received. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Transatlantic Programs Center, Winchester, Va., is the contracting activity (W912ER-05-D-0003).

The Davis Group Inc, Sanford, Fla., was awarded Sept. 30, 2008, a $28,000,000
Indefinite delivery Indefinite Quantity firm fixed price contract for construction of administrative facilities in southwest region such as (Ariz., Ark., Calif., La., N.M., N.V., Okla., and Texas). Work will be determined with each task order southwest region such as (Ariz., Ark., Calif., La., N.M., N.V., Okla., and Texas), with estimated and completion date of Sept. 29, 2008. Bids were solicited Phase 2-5 offerors and Bids were received phase 2-5 offerors. U.S. Army Engineers District, Fort Worth, Texas, is the contracting activity (W9126G-08D-0078).

Sauer Inc, Jacksonville, Fla., was awarded on Sept. 30, 2008, a $20,993,600 firm/fixed/price contract for design and construct barracks complex consisting of four barracks building totaling 70,272 square feet for 192 Soldiers assigned to the Echelon Above Brigade stationed at Fort Stewart, Ga. Work will be performed in Fort Stewart, Ga., with an estimated completion date of Mar. 2, 2010. Four bids were solicited and two bids were received. U.S. Army Engineer, Savannah, Ga., is the contracting activity (W912HN-07-D-0061).

AAI Corp., Hunt Valley, Md., was awarded on Oct. 2, 2008, a $15,490,745 firm fixed fee price contract for engineering change proposals. Work will be performed in Hunt Valley, Md., with an estimated completion date of Feb. 28, 2010. One bid was solicited and one bid was received. U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command, Redstone Arsenal, Ala., is the contracting activity (W58RGZ-06-C-0190).

Atherton Construction Inc, Las Vegas, Nev., was awarded on Sept. 29, 2008, a $15,000,744 firm fixed fee price contract for Whole House Remodel, Wayne Manor Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, North Carolina. Work will be performed in Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C., with an estimated completion date of Sept. 29, 2010. Bids were solicited via the Web and one bid was received. Corp of Engineer, Kansas City, Mo., is the contracting activity (W912DQ-08-C-0060).

TtecEC-Tesoro Join Venture, Norcross, Ga., was awarded on Sept. 30, 2008, a $14,747,900 firm fixed price contract. To replace all existing deteriorated and failed components such as fire alarm system to meet current life and safety standards. Work will be performed in Fort Gordon, Ga., with an estimated completion date of Jan. 28, 2010. Four bids were solicited and two bids were received. U.S. Army Engineer District, Fort Gordon, Ga., is the contracting activity (W912HN-07-D-0058).

Kidde Technologies Inc, Goleta, Calif., was awarded on Oct. 1, 2008, a $13,474,144 firm fixed price contract. This action is to procure 2,360 each Stryker Tire Fire Suppression Kit. This contract is also to cover some miscellaneous spares and support items for the Stryker Tire Suppression Kits. Work will be performed in Goleta, Calif., with an estimated completion date of Sept. 30, 2009. One bid was solicited and one bid was received. TACOM, Warren, Mich., Norfolk is the contracting activity (W56HZV-09-C-B001).

Kjaer Group Inc, Arlington, Va., was awarded on Sept. 29, 2008, a $9,604,582 firm fixed price contract for the four lots of spares in support of Mobile Maintenance and Light Tactical Vehicles for Afghanistan work will be performed in Arlington, Va., with an estimated completion date of Feb. 23, 2009. Bids were solicited via the Web and two bids were received. TACOM, Warren, Mich., is the contracting activity (W56HZV-08-C-0703).

IBM Corporation, Fairfax, Va., was awarded on Oct. 1, 2008, a $8,539,154 firm fixed price contract for the hardware/software Maintenance and Technical Support Services for U.S. Army Information Technology Agency, Data Center Services Directorate. This delivery order is subject to availability of funds. Work will be performed in Washington, DC, with an estimated completion date of Sept. 30, 2013. Bids were solicited via the Web and one bid was received. Contracting Center of Excellence, The Pentagon, Arlington, Va., is the contracting activity (W912QUZ-06D-0010).

QSS Group Inc, Lanham, Md., was awarded on Sept. 28, 2008, a $9,077,923 time material contract for IT Application Support Services to execute Logistics, Acquisition, Research & Development, and Information Management Tech (IM&T). Work will be performed in Warren, Mich., with an estimated completion date of Sept. 28, 2011. Five bids were solicited and three bids were received. TACOM, Warren, Mich., is the contracting activity (W912CH-06-A-L001).

Lockheed Martin Corp., Missile and Fire Control, Orlando, Fla., was awarded on Oct. 1, 2008, a $5,533,887 cost plus fixed fee contract. The Lockheed martin led team will develop and demonstrate a Video and Image Retrieval and analysis tool system for video data exploitation that enables an analyst to rapidly find video content of intrest fro archives containing thousands of hours of video data, and to provide alerts to the analysts of events of interest during live operations. Work will be performed in Cherry Hill, N.J., Orlando, Fla., Philadelphia, Pa., Pittsburgh, Pa., and Littleton, Colo., with an estimated completion date of Mar. 29, 2010. Bids were solicited via the Web and twenty bids were received. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Arlington, Va., is the contracting activity (HR0011-09-C-0027).

Air Force

L3 Communications Vertex Aerospace of Madison, Miss., is having an option exercised on a current contract for $23,620,000. This action is for the exercise option IX under the contract for Contractor Logistics Support for the C-12 Aircraft for Pacific Air Force, Air Force Material Command, Defense Intelligence Agency and Defense Security Corporation Agency, consisting of maintenance, repair and support functions for the 2009 fiscal year (1 Oct. 08 through 30 Sept. 09). Tinker AFB, OK, is the contracting activity F34601-00-C-0111-P00462.

Civil Air Patrol, Inc., of Maxwell Air Force Base Ala., is being awarded a cooperative agreement modification to a current contract for $6,100,500. This modification will increase funding for FY 2009 Civil Air Patrol operation and maintenance and counter-drug activities, drug demand reduction program, support to CAP-USAF State Directors, and support to the AFROTC/CAP flying orientation program for all AFROTC detachments as authorized by 10 U.S.C. 9442(b), 10 U.S.C. 9444(a), and 10 U.S.C. 9444(b). $6,100,500.02 has been obligated. Maxwell AFB, AL is the contracting activity F41689-00-2-0001-A00206.

Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Integrated Systems Sector of San Diego, Calif., is being awarded a contract modification for $23,187,000. This action will provide for Long Lead associated with 5 Global Hawk Air Vehicles. At this time $23,187,000 has been obligated. Wright-Patterson AFB, OH, is the contracting activity FA8620-08-C-3001.

UNITED STATES TRANSPORTATION COMMAND

CAV International Inc., of Colorado Springs, CO 80920-4162, is being awarded a $15,509,395 fixed price modification. This contract modification will exercise option year three to provide continuing Air Terminal and Ground Handling Services on behalf of the Air Mobility Command in support of the Department of Defense Airlift System at Kuwait International Airport Abdullah Al Mubarak Airbase, Kuwait and will be completed Sept. 2009. Contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The contracting activity is United States Transportation Command, Directorate of Acquisition, Scott AFB, Ill., 62225 (FA4428-06-C-0005).