JTRS Update

Written by Joint Program Executive Office (JPEO)

MIT 2010 Volume: 14 Issue: 5 (June)

COMPETITIVE OFFICE SPEEDS ACQUISITION

Increased demand for acquisition reform, coupled with escalating operational communication requirements, led the JPEO JTRS in 2007 to establish the Consolidated Single Channel Handheld Radio (CSCHR) project to serve as an interim provider for single-channel handheld radios for Department of Defense operational forces. The CSCHR project is now a part of the Competitive Alternative Acquisition Products (CAAP) office, which was established in September 2009 to provide oversight of CSCHR and other non-developmental projects.

With the rapid fielding of innovative communication solutions as its focus, CAAP is successfully adapting the JTRS enterprise business model to procure non-developmental items (NDI) in support of immediate operational requirements for the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force and Special Operations Command. The CAAP office currently includes the Rifleman Radio Competitive Integration project as well as the CSCHR contracting vehicle.

Although each service has contracting vehicles to acquire NDI equipment, the CAAP product office is distinct because its focus is maximizing competition and driving down the cost for the warfighter, without any loss of capability, and in some cases increasing it. The CSCHR contracting vehicle is a multiple award IDIQ contract that allows the government to compete delivery orders between two prequalified vendors, Thales and Harris. Those competitions drive significant savings for the military services.

CSCHR contracts also include a technology insertion clause allowing a contracting office to modify the contract for newer technology that a service may require. Also, the contract has a technology insertion clause that allows the government to take advantage of technology advances during the life of the contract and provide those advances to the warfighter.

“CAAP is what DoD has been preaching about acquisition: Effectively compete to drive down prices, and do so in full compliance with law to ensure fairness, but get it done quickly to get capability out fast,” said Lieutenant Colonel Elizabeth Bledsoe, CAAP product manager.

Effective and efficient acquisition is the cornerstone of the CAAP’s mission. If the delivery order is a standard competitive request for quotes, CAAP can generally award a delivery order in only three to four weeks. Then, normally the vendors can start delivering in just about 30 days of the delivery order. This means the services can request and receive their equipment in just two months time.

Competition is crucial, as it has incentivized the current contractors to offer favorable pricing. “The CAAP office provides NDI communications equipment in a continual competitive environment using multiple award contracts and delivery order competitions,” said Bledsoe. “This provides significant savings to the services.”

Most recently, the CAAP teamed with the Joint Program Office Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (JPO MRAP) to process four delivery orders totaling over $233 million during FY10. JPO MRAP received 8,489 dual vehicle adapters and 17,588 handheld radios in support of operations in Southwest Asia.

Utilizing the flexibility available in the contract language, Demand Assigned Multiple Access (DAMA) satellite capability became available so that soldiers can communicate in rough terrain unsuitable for line-of-sight radios. The CSCHR project fulfilled JPO MRAP requirements for $52 million less than what JPO MRAP expected to spend.

“The CAAP program office has demonstrated flexibility and commitment in providing capability to the warfighter at the same high speed as the MRAP program,” said James Jackson, JPO MRAP, government furnished equipment lead. “The MRAP program has achieved significant cost savings as well as maintaining our schedule. By taking advantage of CAAP as a tool to rapidly source communications equipment, we avoided delay and allowed our team to focus on supporting the warfighter.” ♦

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