Along with about one-hundred forty other companies, BAE has announced they too have been awarded a piece of $17.5 billion biometrics contract.
The United States Army Program Executive Office for Simulation, Training and Instrumentation (PEO STRI) announced the Simulation and Training Omnibus Contract (STOC II) in late December 2008. The indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract is meant to provide the army a pre-qualified set of contractors to develop and deploy simulation technology over the next ten years.
“The virtual training systems we create are an important tool for soldiers preparing for combat in Iraq and Afghanistan, allowing them to train in a safe, but yet very realistic environment before meeting the challenges of today’s battlefield,” said Juan Vela, director of programs at BAE Systems U.S. Combat Systems.
The same comments have come down from execs at SAIC, CSC, L-3, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon and others. As to what the first deliverables under STOC II, PEO STRI has posted a number of Sources Sought notices and draft documents, but haven’t yet posted any Request for Proposals (RFPs). Most of the sources sought close by the end of this month or early April, and they range from aircraft and vehicle simulation to soldier-worn equipment used in situations not unlike laser tag.
The closest thing to an RFP is a draft document for Bradley Conduct of Fire Trainer-Situtational Awareness (COFT-SA) synthetic gunnery trainers, which indicates an RFP will be issued on or around March 31, 2009.
According to the Statement of Work (SOW) the COFT-SA trainer replicates the performance of the Operation Desert Storm-Situational Awareness (ODS-SA) Bradley Fighting Vehicle enabling the crew to operate in a synthetic environment. Each trainer will consist of a turret module, image generator, Instructor Operation Station and have laptop and classroom components.
Current plans would require 31 mobile configurations, 14 institutional/classroom configurations and 69 tabletop configurations. Though no monetary number has yet been associated with this project, similar projects have estimated values of $110 million.
BAE would find itself in prime position for this job, their focus on military vehicle training and simulation has previously been showcased in their Bradley Advance Training System, now in use by the Army’s Future Combat System. Except the contract is only open to small businesses involved with STOC II. Stay tuned as the RFP is released, and the irresponsible predictions commence.
