Northrop Grumman Nabs $350 DHS Award, Unseats GD for US-CERT Support

Northrop Grumman [NOC] says it has won a potential $350 million contract to provide operational services to a unit of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that responds to, and shares information about, cyber threats affecting partners in the federal and private sectors. Northrop Grumman unseated incumbent

General Dynamics [GD] for the contract to support the United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT). The award is a five-year indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contract. “US-CERT is a franchise program for the Department of Homeland Security,” says Jim Myers, vice president and general manager for Cyber Solutions and Northrop Grumman. He says the company will help “to identify cyber threats and manage the coordinated response to those threats.” Northrop Grumman won the US-CERT contract last summer but the award was delayed due to a protest. US-CERT is the operational arm of the DHS National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center, which serves as a central location for multiple partners at various levels of government and business to coordinate their efforts for the protection of computer and communication networks.

TSA Awards L-3 $195M for eXaminer EDS Systems

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has awarded L-3 Communications [LLL] a $194.9 million contract for the installation of eXaminer 6600 medium-speed explosive detection systems (EDS) at Oklahoma City Will Rogers World Airport. The number of EDS systems being acquired was redacted by TSA in a contract posting on the FedBizOpps.gov web site. The award was made under the agency’s existing indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contract with L-3 for medium-speed systems.

United Airlines Orders Itemiser Trace Detectors from MDI

Morpho Detection, Inc. (MDI), says it has received an order from United Airlines [UAL] to provide 54 Itemiser DX desktop explosives trace detectors to screen air cargo for explosives. The value of the award was not disclosed although the DX models sell for between $35,000 and $45,000 each depending on the customer, quantity and other factors. The systems will be deployed domestically and internationally at United Cargo locations to replace legacy competitor systems and maintain compliance with enhanced Transportation Security Administration cargo screening mandates. “Working with Morpho allows us to maintain the highest level of cargo screening effectiveness without impacting the efficiency of our operations,” says Angel Ramirez, managing director, United Cargo Global Operations. MDI, which is a unit of Safran Group, says more than 3,000 Itemiser DX’ have been deployed to air cargo screening facilities, airport checkpoints, checked baggage screening and secure locations worldwide.

A-T Solutions Wins $7M Contract to Provide NY/NJ Ports with Security Audits

A-T Solutions says it has received a five-year, $6.5 million contract with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to conduct security audits of aviation and commercial critical infrastructure. A-T will use its Signature Scene software application to provide an automated audit and data collection platform that reduces administrative time while enhancing accuracy and timeliness of reporting. Specific locations for the audits include Newark Liberty International, JFK International, Stewart International, LaGuardia and Teterboro airports, and One World Trade Center. The company says it will leverage its knowledge of security regulations, commercial airlines and airport operations to support and approach to auditing that takes into account the most likely times, locations, scenarios and circumstances under which security violations will occur. The Port of Authority of NY/NJ is a new customer for A-T, which is based in Northern Virginia.

Quasars Nabs $3M for Airport Design Reviews

The engineering and technology firm Quasars, Inc., has received a one-year, $3.2 million task order from the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to conduct 169 design reviews at 78 airport terminals to ensure that the airports have the most capable explosive detection systems and explosive trace detection systems for the screening of checked bags within the U.S. air transportation system. Quasars, a minority, woman-owned small business, will provide the agency with Basic Airport Designs (BDRs) for the 30, 70 and 100 percent phases of recapitalization and optimization efforts at the airports, including aligning of airport systems architecture with operational concepts, integration of the latest technologies and replacement of EDS and ETD equipment into new and existing airport facilities, work with stakeholders to ensure that requirements are addressed in designs, and work with contractors to ensure designs comply with standards. The BDRs must be complete before TSA can award airports money to ensure security equipment is housed, installed, and maintained in a properly designed checked baggage inspection system. TSA in April 2010 awarded Quasars and Global Systems Technologies separate indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contracts for Professional Engineering and Logistics Support Services (PELSS). Prior to the new task order, so far the agency had awarded $62.9 million under PELSS, which has a $100 million ceiling. In April TSA plans to competitively award a new task order to complete all the upcoming BDR efforts from the pre-design phase through the 100 percent design.

Implant Sciences Sells Trace Detectors for Construction, Air Cargo Security

Implant Sciences [IMSC] says it has sold 20 handheld QS-H150 explosives trace detectors to a construction company in Asia to protect construction sites. Implant says the construction company is building secure infrastructure-grade facilities. Implant says that it beat larger vendors for the award. The company also says it has sold a QS-B220 desktop explosives trace detector to Pacific Air Cargo, which provides express air cargo service between Los Angeles and Honolulu on Boeing 747 freighters. The purchase was the first by Pacific Air Cargo of the QS-B220, which will be used to screen cargo for explosives. Pacific Air Cargo says it is the combination of performance metrics and total ownership costs that drove its purchase of the trace detector.

Port of NY/NJ Awards Smiths Detection Contract for Super Bowl Security

Smiths Detection says it received a contract from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey for handheld detection systems used to help provide security at the Super Bowl in New Jersey earlier this month. The contract was for Multi-Mode Threat Detectors, which are used for the rapid detection and identification of explosives, narcotics, toxic industrial chemicals (TICs) and chemical warfare agents (CWAs), and SABRE 5000 units, which are used to screen for trace amounts of explosives, CWAs, TICs or narcotics. “Our systems are already used to secure many similar U.S. venues, and being chosen for this iconic game is a particular source of price for us,” says Lance Roncalli, managing director, Americas, for Smiths Detection, which is part of Smiths Group.

First Coast Security Nabs Potential $30M Guard Services Contract

The Department of Homeland Security Federal Protective Service has awarded a potential $30 million contract to First Coast Security Solutions, Inc., for protective security officer services. The five-year award, a small business set aside, is for guard services at several locations in Washington, D.C.

DARPA Awards Raytheon $10M for Plan X Cyber Work

Raytheon [RTN] received a $9.8 million contract from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) under the Plan X program, which seeks to help U.S. government agencies plan, execute and assess cyber network operations. The company’s research is focused on enabling the Defense Department to predictably and rapidly scale and execute cyber operations with accurate assessable results. DARPA says that the purpose of Plan X is to develop cyber offensive technologies or effects.