Tactical Communications (TACCOM)

The Department of Homeland Security awarded the Tactical Communications Master IDIQ to multiple prime contractors on March 26, 2012, with a shared ceiling of $3 billion and a last date to order of September 27, 2017—ordering against this vehicle closed in September 2017 and is no longer active. This vehicle was succeeded by Tactical Communications II, awarded in May 2019.

The vehicle procures a broad array of tactical communications products and infrastructure across five categories: portable and mobile radios, base stations, and software (TC1); infrastructure components including repeaters, routers, and comparator systems (TC2); infrastructure services such as engineering and installation (TC3); operations and maintenance services including maintenance and spectrum management (TC4); and test equipment (TC5). Task orders reveal heavy demand for subscriber equipment—portable radios from Motorola, Relm, and Bendix King dominate procurement—alongside infrastructure upgrades, maintenance, and training services. Recent large awards include a $25.9 million tactical communications modernization project and an $18.8 million land mobile radio upgrade.

Over 1,667 task orders were placed during the vehicle's active period, with ordering momentum peaking in 2017 at 450 orders before dropping sharply in 2018–2019 as the vehicle wound down. The combined task-order potential value stands at $1.16 billion, of which $899.6 million (78%) has been obligated. Motorola Solutions dominates by potential value at $481.4 million across 358 orders, though Relm Communications leads by order count with 548 awards totaling $62 million in potential value. Five primes—Motorola, Eyak Technology, Chartis Consulting, Rivada Port Graham Solutions, and Peraton—capture 67% of combined potential value. The long tail includes systems integrators and equipment specialists across 31 distinct primes.

Customer concentration is moderate: Customs and Border Protection leads by potential value at $338.8 million across 131 orders, followed by the Department of Agriculture Forest Service at $32.4 million across 403 orders. Orders span 86 distinct federal agencies, with no single customer dominating the portfolio. The set-aside mix skews heavily to unrestricted awards—60% of orders carried no set-aside, 36% were partial small business, and 4% were total small business. Task orders range from small buys under $10,000 to multi-million-dollar infrastructure and modernization efforts, with firm fixed pricing throughout.

The purpose of this contract is to support the Department of Homeland Security (DHS and its Components) purchase a full array of tactical communications (TacCom) commodity products, infrastructure and services. Products and services fall into the following categories: TC1 Subscriber Base - Portable/mobile radios, control/base stations, software, upgrades, etc. TC2 Infrastructure - Repeaters, routers, comparator systems, OTAR, etc. TC3 Infrastructure Services - Engineering, design, installation, etc. TC4 O & M Services - Maintenance, frequency managers, spectrum managers, etc. TC5 Test Equipment.