Stanley wins Army logistics deal

Stanley Associates Inc. of Alexandria, Va., has won a $10.3 million contract from the Army Field Support Command to provide software support for two logistics systems that help the Army deploy weapons and equipment to the battlefield.

The one-year contract with four one-year options renewed the company's work on the systems and might be worth more than $50 million if all options are exercised.

Stanley will provide ongoing software development, maintenance and contingency operations support for the Army War Redeployment and Automated Battlebook systems. About 90 employees will perform the work in Alexandria as well as in Army installations throughout the world.

Military personnel responsible for tracking and maintaining weapons and equipment use the War Redeployment System to post information about the condition and location of the materials. Army commanders use the Automated Battlebook System to download this information as they prepare to deploy their units abroad.

The development of the systems was part of the rapid deployment and force modernization initiatives begun by the Army after Desert Shield and Desert Storm operations more than a decade ago. The new systems were used in the current Iraq conflict to deploy forces more quickly.

"Operation Iraqi Freedom was a big test for us because there had never been that large of a deployment with the new policies, doctrine and systems," said Greg Denkler, Stanley's senior vice president of corporate operations.

The success of the systems in the Iraq war had a direct bearing on the contract renewal, he said.

Logistics Management Resources Inc. of Hopewell, Va., a provider of automated logistics services, is a subcontractor on the project.

Previously the contract was awarded directly to Stanley without competition, but this time the contract was competed, Denkler said. "This is a very strong customer reaffirmation of the quality of work we've done through a very difficult time?the war," he said. "In terms of morale and momentum, it is a big plus for all of the people who have worked on it."

In addition to the Army Field Support Command contract, the company is currently providing related support to the Army Reserve Command through a project known as the Army Reserve Storage and Maintenance System, he said.

Stanley provides a wide range of information technology services, including software development, network design and implementation, systems engineering and consulting to the government and commercial sectors. The company has more than 1,500 employees and annual sales of $179 million.