UPDATE: The final solicitation was released on September 15th, with proposals due on October 10, 2017. On October 23rd, the Army released amendments to the solicitation “due in part to industry questions” submitted. EZGovOpps will continue monitoring the procurement process for this opportunity.
The U.S. Army has announced its intentions to move forward with the next version of its procurement vehicle for ruggedized military equipment: Common Hardware Systems 5 (CHS-5). Worth a potential $3.9 billion, CHS has continued to grow in value and in capabilities through the 4 previous iterations, but it has maintained some form of General Dynamics as the prime contractor since CHS-2, awarded in 1995.
Common Hardware Systems is a multiple award, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract used for the procurement of commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) communications and IT equipment for tactical uses on and off the battlefield. Since CHS-2, the COTS equipment offered must have been able to receive upgrades to meet 4 different standards of hardening for use on the battlefield, depending on the customers’ needs:
- V1, solely the commercial specifications
- V1+, “Commercial Rugged,” such as a commercially-ruggedized laptop
- V2, “Fully Rugged” tactical solutions
- V3, “Near MIL-SPEC Rugged” equipment
This equipment ranged from computer systems, servers, peripherals and network devices, to the COTS software for those systems and the associated support and integration services.
According to Federal reporting data, General Dynamics C4 Systems (now absorbed into General Dynamics Mission Systems) has earned over $1.7 billion in obligated funding for CHS-4 products and services.
CHS-2, as mentioned earlier, was awarded to General Dynamics Communications Systems in 1995 by The Army Communications Electronics Command. The value of the contract exceeded $1 billion before the award of CHS-3 to GD in 2003, which had a potential value of over $2 billion. Services from General Dynamics continued under the C4 Systems unit for the CHS-4 contract, awarded in 2011 with a 5-year period of performance and a $3.7 billion ceiling. Importantly, CHS-4 also included a provision for technology insertion, allowing for the continuous incorporation of updated technology to ensure up-to-date, advanced capabilities in the equipment.
CHS-5 will allow the army, in the its own words:
“to acquire highly flexible, cost effective, common, and simplified non-developmental Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Combat Systems, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (C5ISR) solutions that improve interoperability and connectivity on the battlefield while garnering efficient competition to enable the latest commercial technology solutions to be integrated for tactical or operational use.”
CHS-5 will have a 5-year ordering period and a primary applicable NAICS code of 334111 — Electronic Computer Manufacturing, and a maximum ceiling of $3.9 billion. The new contract will include the same provision for technology integration, and maintain the same V1 through V3 product categories while requiring worldwide repair services for that equipment. The final RFP is expected at the end of August, and EZGovOpps will continue to monitor the solicitation process for this major opportunity.
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