CONTRACT NEWS IN BRIEF
EUROPE
LAND
20 May 08. Loughborough University has taken delivery of six Rohde & Schwarz R&S FS315 spectrum analyzers, enabling its electronics students to profit from hands-on experience when learning about the fundamentals of communications engineering. Second year students on the Department of Electronic and Electrical
Engineering’s BEng/MEng Communications course will use the R&S FS315
instruments. It is also envisaged that when used with an electric field
probe, the R&S FS315s will prove useful for teaching the 3rd year
Electromagnetic Compatibility Module and for the department’s final year
project students too.
SEA
20 May 08. Future Aircraft Carriers (CVF): MoD to Place Contract. The Defence Secretary issued a Written Statement (20 May 08) stating that the MoD was ready to go ahead with contract signature for two new aircraft carriers. The carriers, to be named HMS QUEEN ELIZABETH and HMS PRINCE OF WALES, are due to enter service in 2014 and 2016.
Comment: BAE Systems and VT confirmed (20 May 08) that they are now completing arrangements for BVT Surface Fleet, the Joint Venture (JV) combining their ship building businesses. The JV documentation is expected to be signed “shortly” and the agreement will then be subject to VT shareholder approval.
Contrary to newspaper reports, no price was placed on the two CVF by the Defence Secretary in his 20 May 08 Statement. In a Written Answer on 8 Oct 07 the Defence Secretary had said that the two carriers were expected to cost £3,900m, although the final price would be settled “by 2010”.(Source: DNA DEFENCE NEWS ANALYSIS, Issue 0821, 26 May 08)
USA
LAND
20 May 08. General Dynamics Information Technology has been awarded a contract by the General Services Administration’s Assisted Acquisitions Service to support the Army National Guard’s distributed learning information technology (IT) program. Under this contract, General Dynamics will provide information technology (IT) technical support and professional services for its Distributed Learning Branch, Army Training Division. The contract has a total potential value of $26.1m over five years if all options are exercised.
SEA
23 May 08. The U. S. Navy has awarded General Dynamics Electric Boat a $6m contract modification for management and nuclear maintenance work on submarines stationed at Submarine Base New London, Conn. Under the terms of the contract modification, Electric Boat will continue to operate the Nuclear Regional Maintenance Department (NRMD) at the submarine base through Sept. 30, 2008. The company will provide project management, planning, training and radiological-control services to support maintenance, modernization and repairs in support of operational submarines. About 25 Electric Boat employees are assigned to the NRMD.
23 May 08. Harris Corp., Palm Bay, Fla. is being awarded a $15,135,104 initial order under an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, firm-fixed price for Multi-Band Shipboard Satellite Communications Systems; Force Level Variant. This contract will allow the Program Executive Office-Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence and Space (PEO-C4I & Space), Navy Communications Program Office (PMW-170) to acquire terminals, providing commercial SATCOM connectivity capability to the Fleet. This contract includes five one-year ordering periods and has a total estimated value of $85,372,804. Work will be performed in Palm Bay, Fla., and work is expected to be completed by January 2009. If delivery orders are placed throughout the five one-year ordering periods, work could continue until June 2013. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract wascompetitively procured with using full and open competitive procedures via the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center E-commerce website, with five offers received. The Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command, San Diego, Calif., is the contractin