The Army has awarded General Dynamics [GD] Mission Systems a $3.9 billion contract to continue managing the purchasing and maintenance of its ruggedized battlefield network hardware, the company said Aug. 1.
GD Mission Systems will support the Army’s Common Hardware Systems (CHS)-5 program and serve as a ‘one stop shop’ for anywhere between 75,000 to 100,000 pieces of commercial-off-the-shelf IT hardware needed to support soldier connections to the tactical network.
“The CHS program is a great example of how the Army and industry can partner to ensure military services can rapidly acquire C4ISR solutions and other products that are not only cost-competitive with the commercial market, but logistically managed and supported for an extended period,” Chris Marzilli, president of GD Mission Systems, said in a statement.
GD was the incumbent after receiving a $3.7 billion contract for CHS-4 in 2011, and was the only company to submit a bid for CHS-5.
Under the three-year contract, which includes two one-year options, GD is tasked with running CHS-5 to bring in and integrate the latest computing and network equipment to improve connectivity and interoperability for soldiers.
Updates to the new CHS-5 deal include the addition of a pre-negotiation pricing schedule for the duration of the contract, additional warranty options with up to eight years of coverage, more incentives to provide the lowest priced hardware and the ability to procure technical data packages based on competitive pricing.
GD is also tasked with leading maintenance support for battlefield network hardware.
“The contract provides for technical assistance support services and logistics support for a wide range of services, from the rapid repair and replacement of equipment at strategically located Regional Support Centers to the deployment of field service personnel to CHS-5 user locations worldwide,” GD Mission Systems officials said in a statement.
The CHS-5 contract arrives as Army officials are expected to deliver a proposal to senior leadership this fall outlining a baseline package of deployable computing technologies needed for its tactical network modernization effort (Defense Daily, May 11).
“More importantly, the ability of the CHS program to quickly adapt to the evolving challenges of today’s battlefield plays a critical role in supporting the Army’s tactical network modernization efforts,” Marzilli said.