Boeing Hints at Possible Protest After Debrief From Air Force
Brian Bradley
NS&D Monitor
1/16/2015
Northrop Grumman Technical Services on Wednesday won a $963.5 million indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract, beating out Boeing to sustain the Minuteman 3 Ground Subsystem until Jan. 31, 2020, as part of the Future ICBM Sustainment and Acquisition Concept (FISAC). If Northrop Grumman withstands the protest period, the company would effectively secure an extension of its 60-year legacy of maintaining ICBMs. The contract announcement comes less than 10 months before Northrop’s 17-year ICBM Prime Integration Contract (IPIC) is set to expire, and John Parker, Director of Weapon Systems Sustainment and Modernization for Northrop Grumman, told NS&D Monitor that part of the existing IPIC work scope entails the same activities as the Ground Subsystem contract, which should allow Northrop to “continue our excellent performance” on the IPIC contract. The initial contract value is $4.4 million.
Boeing Reacts
Boeing has requested a debrief regarding the Air Force’s decision, after which they could potentially protest the decision. “As with any other award decision, we will evaluate our options at that time,” Boeing Strategic Missile Systems spokeswoman Queena Jones told NS&D Monitor in a Jan. 15 email. Parker said he was aware of and “not at all” surprised by Boeing’s request. “That’s standard operating procedure,” he said. “Typically, when you don’t win a major contract, you ask for a debrief. And then, you make decisions based on that debrief.” As of early today, Boeing had not protested the award.
Transition to FISAC
Northrop joins a FISAC pool consisting of BAE Systems as Integration Support Contractor (ISC), Lockheed Martin as Reentry Subsystem Contractor and Boeing as Guidance Subsystem Contractor. ATK, Northrop and Lockheed are all bidding on the Propulsion Subsystem contract expected to be awarded on Oct. 1, one day after Northrop’s IPIC expires. While Northrop will on Sept. 30 hand over its role as ICBM lead integrator—a position the company has maintained for six decades—to the Air Force, the maximum value of Northrop’s IDIQ contract exceeds the value of any other FISAC contract thus far, including BAE’s $534.9 million fixed-price-level-of-effort, firm-fixed-price and cost-type-cost line item numbers ISC contract.
The FISAC Ground contract is crucially important to Northrop to extend its legacy involvement in ICBMs, according to Parker. “We’ve been on ICBM contracts for the last 50 years and we’ve actually supported the weapon system from initial capability development to the sustainment and modernization programs that are out there today,” Parker said. “So from that perspective, it’s a legacy system for us and it’s extremely important to us because of the fact that it’s a legacy system.
After the award, Northrop began working with the Air Force on its FISAC transition plan to make sure the two collaborate on any possible needed adjustments, Parker said. During this transition, Northrop will closely examine and prepare awardable tasks under the IDIQ, and will continue to support the FISAC technical council which will consist of all FISAC members. Parker said that the contracting pool has so far reacted favorably about the tech council. Northrop will also coordinate closely with BAE until September, Parker said.
Who Will Lead the Ground Subsystem Contract and What Will It Entail?
Parker will lead the business unit in charge of the FISAC Ground contract, while Lori Belnap, Director of Engineering and Systems Integration, will head FISAC Ground operations and Merlin Mitchell will be the FISAC Ground Program Manager. In its ICBM Ground Subsystem role, Northrop Grumman will provide sustainment engineering, technical assistance and management services, which includes sustainment, assessment, system modification and technical support. Work will be performed at Hill AFB, Vandenberg AFB, Malmstrom AFB, Minot AFB, F.E. Warren AFB, Offutt AFB, and in Colorado Springs, Colo., and Needham, Mass. The Air Force did not respond to NS&D Monitor questions about the FISAC Ground award by publication deadline.
