ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. (March 07, 2016) -- The new Global Tactical Advanced Communication Systems (GTACS) II contract is being designed to help the Army deliver a single, cohesive and interoperable tactical network.
The contract provides one-stop-shopping for a very broad range of Command, Control, Communications-Tactical (C3T) hardware and services with an emphasis on tactical satellite communications (SATCOM). Among its many benefits, GTACS II is expected to significantly reduce delivery times and provide greater opportunities for small business.
"The GTACS I contract, which expires in October 2017, continues to deliver improved competition and reduced acquisition timelines that get programs on contract and capability into the hands of the Soldiers more rapidly, and we are confident that under its new construct, GTACS II will be able to increase these benefits even more," said Jim Sawall, GTACS lead for Project Manager Warfighter Information Network-Tactical's (PM WIN-T) Product Manager SATCOM.
The vision of PM WIN-T and its parent organization the Program Executive Office for C3T is to deliver one unified interoperable tactical network for Soldiers on the battlefield to enable successful missions. The GTACS II contract is congruent with that vision because it enables the Army to deliver capability even quicker than it might have under another means, said Michael Beery, deputy product manager for PdM SATCOM.
"The contract also allows us to be in a sense gatekeepers for divergent solutions, to keep industry and government from putting products out in the field that don't have legs for the future but instead are interoperable with that one tactical network," Beery said.
Following the success of the GTACS I contract, which was recently selected as an Army Strategic Contract, PdM SATCOM held an industry pre-solicitation day for the new GTACS II contract in March at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md. On the current timeline the Army expects to issue the final request for proposal in November 2016 and contracts will be awarded in October 2017.
GTACS II is a 10-year, $6 billion multiple award, indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract for the rapid acquisition of a wide range of tactical C3T, hardware, software, engineering services, logistics support services, test and system related support. The goal of GTACS II is to establish a set of qualified vendors who can quickly respond to requests for proposals on delivery and task orders, which could potentially be awarded in 120 days versus nine months for the original GTACS contract, enabling the Army to get capabilities to the field at an accelerate pace. This decreased timeline will be enabled by efforts such as standardizing documentation and processes to significantly decrease review cycles and a one team approach to the entire contracting process.
The source selection process will result in an award to 30 prime contractors that are granted the opportunity to compete for the broad spectrum of work under the contract in order to provide the optimum resolution of requirements and best value for the Army and DoD. Of the 30 contracts, the Army expects roughly a third to be awarded to small business, with a percentage of that set aside for women and veteran-owned, and disadvantaged or underutilized small businesses.
"We're looking for product innovation to provide the best capability possible for our Soldiers at a competitive price for our taxpayers," Sawall said.
GTACS covers three functional areas -- research and development, production and deployment, and sustainment. This means that no matter where a capability is in the acquisition lifecycle, its program office can utilize this contract to support its requirements.
"The contract enables the customer to design a capability, then produce, test, field and sustain that capability with one contract," Sawall said. "It simplifies and consolidates the entire process across the product lifecycle."
As the Army and DoD continue to modernize the tactical communications network amid a tight fiscal environment, they are leveraging the GTACS contract to efficiently and rapidly compete requirements for increased savings. The GTACS II contract enables customers to meet hardware and associated support services requirements quickly and cost effectively. This type of large multiple-award IDIQ contract allows for participation among both small and large contractors, reduces administrative redundancy and provides cost savings as a result of increased competition.
As the Army continues to modernize its tactical communications network, GTACS provides a competitive contracting mechanism to facilitate the acquisition of new technology and service solutions to support those efforts. From Troposcatter communications systems that bounce microwaves off the atmosphere to upgrades for WIN-T satellite terminals, it provides one-stop-shopping for a wide range of hardware, software, data and services, enabling the Army and DoD to efficiently provide advanced capability improvements to joint forces worldwide.
"GTACS II will leverage our industry partner's solutions while promoting competition and reducing the acquisition timelines to better meet our customer's mission goals," said John Favara, GTACS procuring contracting officer.
For more information:
GTACS Global Email: usarmy.apg.peo-c3t.mbx.pm-win-t-gtacs@mail.mil
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