Two-Color Focal Plane Array (FPA) Development and Fabrication Program

Added: Jun 25, 2014 3:09 pm

BAE Systems of Nashua, New Hampshire is being awarded a competitive cost-plus-fixed-fee contract HQ0147-14-C-0007 with an award value plus options of $19.3M.  Under this new contract, BAE Systems will develop and demonstrate Two-Color High-Speed Digital FPA (DFPA) Infrared (IR) Sensors for the Missile Defense Agency Technology Risk Reduction Program. This contract represents part of the MDA's technology development strategy to develop and test technologies to provide early capability, modify and improve on existing technologies (commercial and dual-use) for insertion into BMDS Elements, and improve the effectiveness of deployed capabilities to counter new threats. This contract was a competitively awarded procurement and the work will be performed at Lexington, Massachusetts and Camarillo, California from June 2014 through December 2018. Fiscal year 2014 Research, Development, Test and Evaluation funds in the amount of $4,301,000 will be used to incrementally fund this effort. The MDA, Huntsville, Alabama, is the contracting activity.

A cost-plus-fixed-fee contract is considered appropriate for this effort, as the exact nature and the extent of work to be performed cannot be established in advance, but must be subject to change as the work progresses. The cost of performing the work cannot be accurately forecasted to permit the undertaking of such work for a fixed price. Costs for research and development cannot be estimated with sufficient accuracy for a firm fixed priced type contract; lack of specific performance criteria and quantifiable milestones preclude the use of any incentive contract type arrangement.