Lockheed Martin wins SOCOM contract, worth a potential $5 billion

Published 5 March 2009

Pentagon selects Lockheed martin to replace L-3 to provide maintenance and critical infrastructure support to U.S. Special Operations Command

Good news for Lockheed Martin. U.S. Special Operations Command (US SOCOM) has been at the forefront of the war on terror, increasing demands on their support infrastructure. SOCOM is famous for having a practical, results-oriented, “get it done now” approach to contracting, and there are a number of umbrella contracts designed to provide them with outsourced support and maintenance services of all kinds. One of the these contracts is SOFSA CLS (Special Operations Forces Support Activity, Contractor Logistics Support); DID notes that contrary to some media reports that it exemplifies a trend toward contracted services, it has been running for more than twenty years now.

On 3 March, the Pentagon announced that Lockheed Martin would be replacing L-3 Communications Integrated Systems as the designated contractor for SOFSA CLS, which has three primary components: (1) aircraft, vehicle and equipment maintenance, (2) critical infrastructure support, and (3) business process transformation. Under the contract, Lockheed Martin will repair and maintain the fleet of Special Operations aircraft, ground vehicles, weaponry, and electronics equipment, to include managing a global supply chain of parts, warehouses, and depots. The contracted firm also manages and upgrade SOCOM’s critical infrastructure, from secure IT networks to worldwide facilities. Finally, the firm works with SOFSA at Blue Grass Station, Lexington, KY to implement leaner, more efficient business processes that can deliver improvements in reliability, responsiveness, cost, and speed.

Lockheed Martin Information Systems & Global Services of Gaithersburg, Maryland thus wins a potential $5 billion indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity contract with mixed payment provisions including firm fixed price, incentive arrangements, and cost reimbursable arrangements. Awards will be issued as required, and the minimum amount guaranteed under the contract is $2.5 million. Work will be performed at Special Operations Forces Support Activity in Lexington, KY, and other locations across the globe, and is expected to have a period of performance from March 2/09, to March 1/18 (H92254-09-D-0001).