The US Army’s $20B ITES-2 Contract

Back in March 2005, DID noted that the US Army had narrowed the field for its $20 billion ITES-2 IT contract to 17 potential prime contractors. At the time, we also noted the Army’s plan to issue the formal RFP in May 2005. Later, in April 2005, DID covered Kevin Carroll, “the $36 billion man” who leads the office in charge of ITES and ITES-2 as the Army pursued its vision of a major long-term contract vehicle for a wide range of information technology and computing services.

In September 2005, the U.S. Army released its RFP for its $20 billion Information Technology Enterprise Solutions-2 Services program via the Army Small Computer Program, the Army Contracting Agency, and the Information Technology, E-Commerce, and Commercial Contracting Center. After that, things didn’t go as well. A major kerfuffle and 2 rounds of GAO protests followed the award, which led to a revised list of winners in November 2006.

$42.2M for Ft. Hood Barracks Complex

MW Builders of Texas Inc. in Temple, TX received a $42.2 million firm-fixed-price contract for design and construction of a whole barracks complex at Fort Hood, TX. Work is expected to be completed by July 31/09. There were 187 bids solicited on Dec. 4, 2006, and 3 bids were received. The U.S. Army Engineer District, Fort Worth, Texas, is the contracting activity (W9126G-07-C-0032).

Despite losing some of its training role and personnel to Fort Carson in Colorado, Ft. Hood remains the center of the US Army’s heavy brigade combat team firepower.

Pumping up the Sacramento River Levees

Maybe he could help…?
(click for his web site)

The Army Corps of Engineers, Sacramento, CA has been issuing firm-fixed-price contracts for Sacramento River levee repairs. Sacramento is California’s state capital, and Governor Schwarzenegger must be relieved to hear the news; note his February 2006 release promising that the levees would be fixed before the flood season – which begins around November. His presence has turned Sacramento into California’s 3rd-biggest tourist destination; no point in spoiling it all now.

After a near-biblical rainfall in 2005-06, California’s 2006-07 winter rainy season turned out to be a bust, with rainfall in some places under half of annual averages. Work continues, however; death and taxes may be inevitable, but nobody can predict long-term weather.

So what, exactly, is going on? And who will be pumping… the levees up?