Graham Warwick/WASHINGTON DC
The US Air Force is preparing to make the first award under a contracting vehicle designed to streamline the acquisition of training systems.
The air force has qualified five companies to bid for contracts worth up to a total of $486 million to be let over the next five years. Boeing, Lockheed Martin and Raytheon Systems have been pre-qualified to bid, as have two small simulation companies, Camber and Intelx. Award of the first contracts under the Training Systems Acquisition programme has been held up, however, by a protest from a losing bidder.
The aim of the programme is to shorten delivery timescales for production, upgrading and support of flight simulation systems, in part by paring down the number of contractors qualified to bid. The so-called "indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity" contract vehicle covers a substantial portion of the USAF's planned expenditure on training devices, visual systems, courseware, student training and logistic support to June 2006.
Industry believes that the programme could be expanded eventually to include operation of the air force's aircrew training systems, contractor-run "schoolhouses" which train crews for specific aircraft types, typically transports and tankers. If this occurs, then the total value of the Training Systems Acquisition programme will be increased significantly.
Source: Flight International
