Boeing

Despite what it referred to as an "amazing" number of responses to its recent request for proposals, the Future Combat Systems (FCS) team today announced the first 30 of what will eventually be about 89 contracts to companies from coast to coast and around the world.

The Army and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, working in partnership with The Boeing Company [NYSE:BA] -- Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) FCS lead systems integrator (LSI) team, reviewed more than 2,900 proposals from around the globe in the past few weeks. The contracts to be awarded will cover three main elements of this key Army transformation program: combat systems, supportability and command, control, computers, communications, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance.

"The scope of work involved in the review process was far greater than we anticipated," said Jerry McElwee, Boeing vice president and FCS LSI program manager from his office in Anaheim. "We are really excited by the volume of response and see it as a testimonial to how well the entire Broad Industry Announcement (BIA) process is working."

The BIA proposals were all received via the Boeing-SAIC FCS website, part of an 'honest broker' approach that the team instituted to ensure fairness in the review process and to secure the most qualified contractors. This approach stems from the unique partnership relationship between the Army and its LSI team. It also represents a significant change in the Army procurement process.

The contract awards from the approximately 195 individual BIA candidate responses that were selected will be spread among about 94 companies. Sixty-four statements of work will go to eight major suppliers; these contracts are currently in negotiation.

To date, contracts have been awarded to:

• Applied Data Trends, Huntsville, Ala.
• Architecture Technology Co., Eden Prairie, Minn.
• Aspen Systems, Marlborough, Mass.
• CHI, Lowe Gwynedd, Pa.
• Cougaar, Fairfax, Va.
• CyberNet, Plano, Texas
• Defense Service, Sterling Heights, Mich.
• IAC, Poway, Calif.
• Intelligent Automation, Inc., Rockville, Md.
• iRobot, Summerville, Mass.
• Kaman, Hudson, Mass.
• LexCarb LLC, Lexington, Ky.
• Mesa, Madison, Ala.
• Metadapt, San Francisco, Calif.
• NAI Labs, Glenwood, Md.
• NATC, Carson City, Nev.
• Orincon Corporation, San Diego, Calif.
• Physics Math & Computers, Socorro, N.M.
• PreMag, Albany, N.Y.
• Remotec, Oak Ridge, Tenn.
• Robotic Technologies, Potomac, Md.
• Rockwell Collins, Cedar Rapids, Iowa
• Rockwell Scientific, Thousand Oaks, Calif.
• Scientific, Tempe, Ariz.
• SeQual, San Diego, Calif.
• SRI International, Menlo Park, Calif.
• University of Texas Austin, Austin, Texas
• Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University, Blackburg, Va.
• Vista Controls, Santa Clarita, Calif

"I am really pleased with the diversity of suppliers who will be receiving contracts," said Col. Bill Johnson, program manager. "There will be a number of small disadvantaged businesses (SDBs) receiving contracts, including several woman-owned SDBs.

"We will also be awarding contracts to a number of international suppliers," Johnson said. "Domestically, the contracts cover almost every region of the country."

Johnson noted that the team would issue weekly updates as additional contracts are negotiated.

The Boeing-SAIC team was awarded the hotly-pursued FCS LSI role in March of this year. The LSI role was strategically important for the Boeing Space and Communications and Phantom Works organizations, which are jointly managing the program. FCS represents the key step into a network-centric, integrated battlespace market that is part of Boeing's vision for the future.

FCS is a networked system of improved communications links and lighter, more mobile armored vehicles that is, in effect, the backbone of the Army's long-term transition plan to reach what it calls the "objective force." FCS will serve as the core building block to develop what the Army calls "overmatching" combat power, sustainability, agility and versatility necessary for full-spectrum military operations.

This next-generation objective force will be lighter and more mobile; the Army transformation requirements include the ability to put a combat-capable brigade anywhere in the world within 96 hours, a full division in 120 hours, and five divisions on the ground within 30 days.