DARPA's $24.3M NCRS R&D aims for next-gen network-centric radio with assured affordable unit price
Contract Overview
Contract Amount: $24,366,000 ($24.4M)
Contractor: Raytheon Company
Awarding Agency: Department of Defense
Start Date: 2009-06-26
End Date: 2010-08-20
Contract Duration: 420 days
Daily Burn Rate: $58.0K/day
Competition Type: FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION
Number of Offers Received: 3
Pricing Type: COST PLUS FIXED FEE
Sector: R&D
Official Description: RESEARCH: DARPA WILL DEVELOP THE NEXT GENERATION NETWORK CENTRIC RADIO SYSTEM (NCRS), WITH ADDITIONAL CAPABILITIES AND AN ASSURED AFFORDABLE UNIT PRICE TO THE USER. DARPA ENVISIONS TWO CRITICAL TECHNOLOGIES FOR ACHIEVING THESE NEW GOALS: 1.) A BACKBONE RADIO ARCHITECTURE THAT ENABLES A VERSATILE IP NETWORK AND 2.) A RADIO GATEWAY THAT ENABLES LEGACY ANALOG AND DIGITAL COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEMS TO BE INTERNETWORKED. AS WITH NCRS, THE MAINGATE WILL ENABLE HETEROGENEOUS GROUPS OF RADIOS TO BE INTEGRATED INTO A HETEROGENEOUS NETWORK TOLERANT TO HIGH LATENCY AND PACKET LOSS. THE TECHNOLOGIES DEVELOPED FOR THE PROGRAM WILL PERMIT AFFORDABLE, TACTICAL, REAL-TIME, HIGH FIDELITY VIDEO, DATA, AND VOICE SERVICES TO BE DEPLOYED IN A NETWORKED ENVIRONMENT TO SUPPORT TACTICAL OPERATIONS IN EITHER MANEUVER OR DISMOUNTED OPERATIONS. A MAINGATE NODE CONSISTS OF THE GATEWAY, MOBILE AD HOC NETWORK (MANET) IP RADIO, WAN PORT, LAN PORT, AND OPERATOR CONSOLE FOR A RECURRING PRODUCTION UNIT COST TARGET (SELL PRICE TO THE GOVERNMENT) OF $60,000 (CONSTANT FY08$) PER UNIT FOR A VOLUME PURCHASE OF 1,000 UNITS AFTER THE SUCCESSFUL SATISFACTION OF THE BASE PROGRAM OBJECTIVES.
Place of Performance
Location: FORT WAYNE, ALLEN County, INDIANA, 46808
State: Indiana Government Spending
Plain-Language Summary
Department of Defense obligated $24.4 million to RAYTHEON COMPANY for work described as: RESEARCH: DARPA WILL DEVELOP THE NEXT GENERATION NETWORK CENTRIC RADIO SYSTEM (NCRS), WITH ADDITIONAL CAPABILITIES AND AN ASSURED AFFORDABLE UNIT PRICE TO THE USER. DARPA ENVISIONS TWO CRITICAL TECHNOLOGIES FOR ACHIEVING THESE NEW GOALS: 1.) A BACKBONE RADIO ARCHITECTURE THAT … Key points: 1. Focus on advanced IP backbone and gateway tech for interoperability. 2. Raytheon Company is the sole contractor, raising competition concerns. 3. Potential risk in integrating legacy systems with new architecture. 4. Sector is R&D, with a specific focus on advanced communication systems.
Value Assessment
Rating: questionable
The contract is for R&D, making direct pricing comparisons difficult. The 'assured affordable unit price' goal is aspirational and not yet a proven outcome.
Cost Per Unit: N/A
Competition Analysis
Competition Level: sole-source
This appears to be a sole-source award to Raytheon Company. Without full and open competition, it's difficult to ascertain if the pricing achieved represents the best value for taxpayers.
Taxpayer Impact: Sole-source awards can lead to higher costs for taxpayers if not rigorously justified and monitored for fair pricing.
Public Impact
Enhances military communication capabilities for tactical operations. Aims to improve real-time data, video, and voice services. Potential for broader application in secure, resilient networking.
Waste & Efficiency Indicators
Waste Risk Score: 50 / 10
Warning Flags
- Sole-source award limits competitive pricing.
- R&D nature makes upfront cost-effectiveness uncertain.
- Integration complexity with legacy systems poses technical risk.
Positive Signals
- Focus on advanced, next-generation technology.
- Goal of assured affordable unit price is a positive indicator.
- Addresses critical needs for tactical communication interoperability.
Sector Analysis
This contract falls within the Research and Development sector, specifically focusing on advanced physical and engineering sciences related to communication systems. Spending in this area is crucial for maintaining technological superiority but requires careful oversight to ensure value.
Small Business Impact
The provided data does not indicate any specific involvement or benefit for small businesses in this contract. The award appears to be to a large prime contractor.
Oversight & Accountability
The contract was awarded by DARPA, an agency known for its rigorous oversight of advanced research projects. However, the sole-source nature warrants close monitoring of cost and performance.
Related Government Programs
- Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Biotechnology)
- Department of Defense Contracting
- Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency Programs
Risk Flags
- Sole-source award.
- Uncertainty of achieving 'affordable unit price' in R&D.
- Complexity of integrating legacy systems.
- Potential for cost overruns in advanced R&D.
Tags
research-and-development-in-the-physical, department-of-defense, in, dca, 10m-plus
Frequently Asked Questions
What is this federal contract paying for?
Department of Defense awarded $24.4 million to RAYTHEON COMPANY. RESEARCH: DARPA WILL DEVELOP THE NEXT GENERATION NETWORK CENTRIC RADIO SYSTEM (NCRS), WITH ADDITIONAL CAPABILITIES AND AN ASSURED AFFORDABLE UNIT PRICE TO THE USER. DARPA ENVISIONS TWO CRITICAL TECHNOLOGIES FOR ACHIEVING THESE NEW GOALS: 1.) A BACKBONE RADIO ARCHITECTURE THAT ENABLES A VERSATILE IP NETWORK AND 2.) A RADIO GATEWAY THAT ENABLES LEGACY ANALOG AND DIGITAL COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEMS TO BE INTERNETWORKED. AS WITH NCRS, THE MAINGATE WILL ENABLE HETEROGENEOUS GROUPS OF RADIOS TO BE INTE
Who is the contractor on this award?
The obligated recipient is RAYTHEON COMPANY.
Which agency awarded this contract?
Awarding agency: Department of Defense (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency).
What is the total obligated amount?
The obligated amount is $24.4 million.
What is the period of performance?
Start: 2009-06-26. End: 2010-08-20.
How will DARPA ensure the 'assured affordable unit price' is met given the sole-source nature of this R&D contract?
DARPA will likely employ stringent cost analysis, performance metrics, and phased development milestones to track progress towards the affordability goal. Regular reviews and potential renegotiation clauses based on demonstrated cost efficiencies will be critical. The agency's expertise in managing high-risk, high-reward R&D is key to achieving this objective.
What are the primary technical risks associated with integrating legacy analog and digital systems into the new network-centric radio architecture?
Key risks include ensuring seamless interoperability and data integrity between disparate systems, managing varying communication protocols and bandwidth limitations, and mitigating potential security vulnerabilities introduced by bridging older and newer technologies. The complexity of maintaining backward compatibility while advancing network capabilities presents a significant engineering challenge.
Beyond military applications, what potential civilian or commercial benefits could arise from the NCRS technologies?
The development of a versatile IP network backbone and interoperable gateway could have significant implications for public safety communications, disaster response networks, and the expansion of broadband internet in challenging terrains. Technologies enabling high-fidelity, real-time data transmission in lossy environments could also benefit remote sensing and IoT applications.
Industry Classification
NAICS: Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services › Scientific Research and Development Services › Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Biotechnology)
Product/Service Code: RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT › DEFENSE (OTHER) R&D
Competition & Pricing
Extent Competed: FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION
Solicitation Procedures: BASIC RESEARCH
Offers Received: 3
Pricing Type: COST PLUS FIXED FEE (U)
Evaluated Preference: NONE
Contractor Details
Address: 1010 PRODUCTION RD, FORT WAYNE, IN, 03
Business Categories: Category Business, Corporate Entity Not Tax Exempt, Not Designated a Small Business
Financial Breakdown
Contract Ceiling: $154,575,796
Exercised Options: $24,366,000
Current Obligation: $24,366,000
Contract Characteristics
Cost or Pricing Data: NO
Timeline
Start Date: 2009-06-26
Current End Date: 2010-08-20
Potential End Date: 2012-07-31 00:00:00
Last Modified: 2010-03-12
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