Air Force kicks off bidding for $4.8B intelligence support vehicle

The Air Force is now taking bids on a potential 10-year, $4.8 billion contract vehicle to acquire research, development and sustainment services related to hardware and software used in intelligence production.

Roughly six awards are planned for the small business set-aside contract known as NOVASTAR, which takes part of its name from the branch’s National Air and Space Intelligence Center that is running the procurement.

Proposals are due on Aug. 31, NASIC said in the final solicitation released July 2. The center intends to make awards in the fourth quarter of this calendar year.

NASIC is also seeking support for collection, planning, processing, analysis, dissemination and archiving functions. Other Defense Department and intelligence agencies can acquire services through this contract.

Deltek data indicates NOVASTAR is a consolidation of requirements from at least 10 other contract vehicles including the so-called MEGASTAR blanket purchase agreement, which the Air Force awarded in 2019 to 11 large businesses at a $997 million ceiling over five years.