2010's Top 10 contracts (so far)

From huge multiple award contracts to significant awards to single winners, we look at the largest contract awards announced during the first three months of 2010.

Contracts announced during January, February and March had values that ranged from $266 million to $2.8 billion.

Our rankings are based on the ceiling value of the contract, and not the actual value of any work performed to date.

Readers are expected to supply their own drum roll and Lettermanesque quips, so on with the countdown...

No. 10. General Atomics wins Air Force UAS support contract

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. won a $266 million contract for program and technical support for the MQ-1 Predator and MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial systems.

Work will include program and configuration management, logistics, technical services, flight and operations, software maintenance and data collection.

General Atomics also will handle urgent and depot repairs, inventory control and spare part management.

9. SAIC captures $351M Navy contract for technical and engineering support

Under a five-year, $351 million Navy contract, Science Applications International Corp. will support the Naval Surface Warfare Center-Crane Division and the Joint Special Operations Response Department.

The department provides the Defense and Homeland Security departments with training and support involving sensors, communications, mobility and special munitions and weapons.

8. General Dynamics wins $387M Army contract

General Dynamics Corp. will provide a variety of technical support and training advisory services to the Army under a five-year contract that could be worth as much as $387 million.

The Army’s Program Executive Office for Simulation, Training and Instrumentation, needs technical, management and professional engineering support services for the procurement and fielding of constructive training systems.

Services to be performed by General Dynamics consist of engineering, integration, exercise and experimentation support; gaming, materiel purchases, maintenance, supply support and post-fielding support.

7. CGI Federal wins $395M follow-on State Department contract

Under a $395 million, 10-year blanket purchasing agreement, CGI Federal Inc. will provide systems integration and consulting services and support for more than 5,000 State Department and U.S. Agency for International Development users of the Joint Financial Management System at more than 300 posts and missions around the world.

CGI has three goals under the contract – modernize systems, provide business information and financial data and lower the total cost of ownership for its customers.

6. SRA wins $500M contract to modernize farm programs

SRA International will work with the Agriculture Department under a $500 million contract to help the agency modernize the technology and business processes it uses to serve farmers across the country.

The Application Transformation and Modernization Systems Integrator blanket purchase agreement was awarded through the General Services Administration schedule and will tap into Recovery Act funds.

The contract will be used to modernize how farm benefit programs and services are delivered. Goals include streamlining business processes, rapidly implementing new farm programs, modernizing technology platforms, and improving access and convenience for producers, ranchers and farmers.

5. SAIC secures $625M Navy award

Science Applications International Corp. won a $625 million contract from the Navy’s Program Executive Office of Command, Control, Communications, Computers and Intelligence. The contract calls for the company to develop software as well as modify and enhance existing C2 systems.

SAIC will provide software engineering, design, development, integration and modification, as well as test and evaluation services. The company also will provide integrated logistics support, and configuration and program management services as required, SAIC said in a statement.

4. Raytheon wins $886M award to boost GPS accuracy

Raytheon Co. has won a contract from the Air Force worth $886 million to develop a new element of the Global Positioning System that will improve the accuracy of information from GPS satellites.

The contract is the first of two development blocks of the advanced control segment (OCX), which should have a significant effect on GPS capabilities.

The OCX system will include anti-jam capabilities and improved security, accuracy and reliability and will be based on a modern service-oriented architecture to integrate government and industry open-system standards.

3. Lockheed scores $940M anti-IED award/p>

Lockheed Martin Corp. will produce Improvised Explosive Device jammers for the Navy under a indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contract that has a ceiling value of $940 million.

In the first task order, Lockheed will build Symphony Radio Controlled Improvised Explosive Device Defeat jammer systems. The Symphony systems are approved by the U.S. government for sale through the Foreign Military Sales program to allied, coalition and partner nations for operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and in other nations.

Symphony is programmable and designed for easy installation, operation and maintenance on diverse platforms used by security forces worldwide. It also is compatible and interoperable with other communications systems and jamming devices, the statement said.

2. Lockheed, Northrop win CANES contracts worth nearly $1B

Defense contracting giants Northrop Grumman Corp. and Lockheed Martin Corp. will assist the Navy with its Consolidated Afloat Networks and Enterprise Services program known as CANES. Each won separate contracts. Lockheed Martin’s has a ceiling of $937 million and Northrop’s is worth $775 million.

The contract is designed to streamline and consolidate Navy information technology networks aboard its ships, and will help the Navy deploy new technologies.

The Navy wants next-generation command and control systems and wants to integrate shipboard servers, workstations, and networking systems with the Navy’s shore-based Next Generation Enterprise Network (NGEN) and the naval portion of the Global Information Grid.

1. CSC, Stanley share $2.8B State Department contract

Computer Sciences Corp. and Stanley Inc. each won a prime contract to run non-immigrant visa application processing for the State Department. The Global Services Strategy contract is worth $2.8 billion over 10 years and the two companies will compete for task orders for work around the world.

The contract builds off a pilot program CSC ran in Mexico to process non-immigrant visa applications. Non-immigrant visas are for tourists, business visitors, students and others who wish to come to the United States, but aren’t planning to become immigrants.

During 2008, 8 million visa applications were processed, according to an industry source close to the competition.