ManTech battles for incumbent Navy contract

ManTech International is locked into a battle to keep a Navy contract where it supports the testing of radar, sonar and other acoustics system.

As an incumbent, the contract had been worth $19.6 million to ManTech, according to data from Deltek. The contract supports the Naval Sea Systems Command and its systems such as the surface ship radiated noise measurement and the fleet sonar self noise. The work includes determining the acoustic signature of vessels. In other words, every ship makes its own unique noise, which can help identify it.

On the recompete, ManTech lost the contract to Celeris Systems Inc., a small business out of Anaheim, Calif. Celeris’ winning bid was worth $10.95 million. While Celeris is a minority owned small disadvantaged business, the competition for the contract was full and open.

ManTech filed its bid protest with the Government Accountability Office on Sept. 21 and expects a decision by Dec. 30.

The contract was competed through the Navy’s Seaport-e contract and should run for five years.

On its website, Celeris bills itself as a engineering services company, and it divides its services into three broad categories: aerospace and defense research and development, test and training range services, and cybersecurity.

Some of the company’s specific skills are around project management, systems engineering, test & integration, mission assurance and cybersecurity.