CONTRACTS

B>deal of the fortnight
The U.S. Air Force awarded a $529 million contract to Sverdrup Technology Inc., Maryland Heights, Mo., to provide test support services at its Arnold Engineering Development Center in central Tennessee. The contract for operating and maintaining the center's aerospace flight dynamics and propulsion test facilities serves a five-year performance period and has a three-year extension option.

OMNI Engineering &amp Technology Inc., McLean, Va., signed a Phase II Small Business Innovative Research contract to help NASA's Kennedy Space Center manage space shuttle ground processing activities. The contract is valued at more than $.5 million.

Computer Sciences Corp.'s Systems Engineering Division, Falls Church, Va., has been named one of 12 vendors to provide information processing support services to the Department of Treasury and other Treasury bureaus. CSC's share is valued at $200 million out of a total contract value of $995 million and will be used to help the IRS move from mainframe to new distributed workstations.

QSS Group Inc., College Park, Md., was awarded a NASA contract worth $9 million for information technology support services at the Goddard Space Flight Center.

Platform Computing Corp. of Toronto and Pratt &amp Whitney, MacNeal-Schwendler, CFD Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the State University of New York at Buffalo have won a $4 million grant from NASA's Affordable High Performance Computing Project. The two-and-a-half year contract will use aerospace applications to reduce turnaround time for aircraft and jet engine design computations from 50 days to overnight.

McDonnell Douglas and Boeing have analyzed and selected a vertical-takeoff, vertical-landing reusable launch vehicle for the X-33 competition. X-33 is a joint NASA/industry program, which will advance the technology required for a commercially operated RLV capable of low-cost, airline-like operations. A joint industry/government decision is expected in 1999 on whether to proceed with an operational RLV.

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Computer Data Systems Inc., Rockville, Md., has been awarded a contract to support the Defense Logistics Agency, Defense Information Systems Agency and other activities within the Department of Defense. The $2.8 million contract will cover a 5-year period. CDSI will provide soft-ware, database development, network computing, lifecycle consulting and information engineering.

Science Applications International Corp.'s Engineering and Environmental Compliance Group, Oak Ridge, Tenn., won a contract with the Savannah District U.S. Army Corps of Engineers worth $50 million over the next five years. The contract will provide hazardous, toxic and radioactive waste services at sites across the corps' South Atlantic division and other areas.

The U.S. Navy announced that Hughes Missile Systems Co., Tucson, Ariz., has been awarded a 54-month contract valued at $154 million. The contract will cover the design and development of the Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile, a vertically launched surface ship anti-air warfare missile. Production is expected to exceed 3,000 missiles.

GRC International Inc., Vienna, Va., received the Joint Manufacturing Capabilities Assessment Toolset contract from the Air Force Manufacturing Technology Directorate at Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. The three-year contract has a total potential value, including options of $5.1 million. Under the contract, GRCI will develop a computer-based toolset to support a manufacturing capability requirements assessment methodology. It will also demonstrate the methodology and toolset to support the Joint Advanced Strike Technology development initiatives of the Wright Laboratory Manufacturing Technology Directorate.

Contracts highlights contracts awarded by the federal government or a contractor. To include your company, send a press release to Contracts Editor, Washington Technology, 8500, Leesburg Pike, Suite 7500, Vienna, Va. 22182; Internet E-mail to technews@technews.com