Harris Corp. [HRS] says Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has awarded the company a potential $54 million follow-on contract to continue to provide operations and maintenance services for the agency’s fleet of tethered aerostats that provide air, ground and sea surveillance in different areas of the U.S. southern border.
The initial order was for $26 million. The contract contains a one-year base period and two options for up to an additional nine months.
The contract was awarded on May 1 as an extension until CBP prepares for a future full and open recompete of the Tethered Aerostat Radar System (TARS) Operations and Maintenance contact, the agency tells HSR.
Harris, through its acquisition of the former Exelis, was the incumbent for the O&M contract. Exelis originally received the contract from the Air Force, who transferred TARS to CBP in July 2013. The Air Force contract was completed on April 30.
CBP operates the TARS systems at eight sites along the southwest and southern borders and in two maritime domains. Two systems are deployed in Arizona, one in New Mexico, three in Texas, one on the Florida Straits and one in Puerto Rico.
Depending on the deployment, the aerostats are equipped with radars and cameras for combinations of air, ground and sea monitoring for search and track, identification friend or foe, and with a communications repeater.
CBP says the contract extension covers full aerostat flight operations, data collection, and ground support systems and facilities O&M across all eight TARS sites. The agency also says that it can order specific engineering and ancillary mission support through the contract as needs arise.
There are no major system enhancements planned under the award, CBP says.
The contract with Harris was made around the same time the agency awarded one to Northrop Grumman [NOC] to provide technical advices and logistical support to ensure processing and distribution of radar surveillance data via an IP network for TARS. CBP announced the contract with Northrop Grumman through the FedBizOpps.gov site but the value of the award was redacted.
Like the Harris contract, Northrop Grumman’s runs for up to 21 months while CBP prepares a new competition.