Contracts

Lawmakers question the number of DHS contractors (but what is the number?)
Do you know how many contractors DHS relies on to carry out the department’s mission? Nobody knows; the best we have is a DHS estimate: about 10,520 in the Washington, D.C. area alone; six years ago DHS tried to do a head count of contractors, but the industry resisted and the project was dropped; DHS says its estimate is based “on algorithms, taking the cost of the contract and taking valid formulas” for estimating personnel required to execute the contracts; “[these figures are] as accurate as we can get under the current conditions”.
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New Orleans $1-billion flood defense revised
To head off a possible $150-million to $300-million cost overrun on the $1-billion Gulf Intracoastal Waterway West Closure Complex in New Orleans, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has redesigned the waterway; trading off some “nice to haves” for necessities.
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DHS procurement office considers contract hybrids
Government agencies are supposed to be using performance-based contracting as much as possible, but this approach is not suitable for all procurements; DHS says it will begin to hybrid contracts which would blend different approaches
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Winter Olympic private security force raises concerns
A Canadian company has been awarded the contract to find 5,000 security guards for the Winter Olympics which open in Vancouver in 100 days; security experts say that “‘Certain facets of security screening can be overlooked in a rush”
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Senate weakens ban on off-shore companies with federal contracts
The “Buy American” provisions in the $787 billion stimulus package prohibited DHS contracts from going to foreign companies — or from “inverted” companies (that is, companies with phony foreign headquarters); in March the ban was extended to other government agencies — but the ban has now been loosened
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CSC replaces Unisys in a half-billion-dollar TSA account
A 2006 DHS IG review criticized Unisys for handling TAS’s Information Technology Infrastructure Program (ITIP) services contract; CSC has now won the five-year contract, potentially worth $493 million
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Top U.S. federal contracts to exceed $180 billion In 2010
New report says that the top 20 federal contracts, many involving IT purchases, will be worth 50 percent more than last year’s contracts
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U.S. buys additional shot-spotters
The U.S. Army already deploys more than 6,000 Boomerang shot-spotter systems; the manufacturer, BBN, has just received a $22.5 million contract to supply 3,300 additional units
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U.S. to increase reliance on private security contractors
Scandals involving activities of private security firms in Afghanistan notwithstanding, the U.S. government is increasing its reliance on these firms; last week five firms were awarded contracts totaling $485 million
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McAfee acquires MX Logic to enhance cloud security
McAfee acquires MX Logic for $140 million; MX Logic has 40,000 customers and four million end users; the deal is designed to bolster McAfee’s existing “security as a service” portfolio; McAfee, alongside Panda and Trend Micro, is among the most aggressive players in the security market in talking up the benefits of cloud-based architectures
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Raytheon wins $155 million wireless contract
DARPA awards Raytheon $155 million to provide a military wireless network interoperable gateway
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L-1 wins $8.3 million U.S. Army contract for HIIDE 4.0 biometric device
HIIDE is a rugged hand-held biometric enrollment and recognition device providing real-time identification using iris, finger, and face biometrics. More than 7,500 devices are currently fielded into areas of conflict around the world
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The continuing development of Fort Detrick offers business opportunities
In some places there is a debate about the balance between the business opportunities and risks that the presence of a BioLab facility offers; in Washington County, Maryland, they concentrate on the business opportunities the sprawling — and growing — Fort Detrick (it covers 1,127 acres and employs more than 8,000 people) offers
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Raytheon pursues stand-off radiation sensor technology
Raytheon received a $2.9 million contract from DHS to develop a stand-off nuclear radiation system
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Russia to buy UAVs from Israel
Russian officers were impressed with the performance of Israel-made UAVs used by Georgian forces during the August conflict, and decided to sign a contract with Israel to buy the systems
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