Release # 24-03 23 April 2024
Contact: Brandon Pollachek
Brandon.j.pollachek.civ@army.mil
Army awards Development, Integration, Acquisition, Bridging to Logistics and Operations (DIABLO)
contract
ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, MD – The U.S. Army Project Director Sensors-Aerial Intelligence (PD SAI) and the Army Contract Command-Aberdeen Proving Ground (ACC-APG) recently awarded Leidos, Inc., with the Development, Integration, Acquisition, Bridging to Logistics and Operations (DIABLO) contract. The DIABLO contract will allow the purchasing of Firm Fixed Price (FFP) and Cost-Reimbursable negotiated service Task Orders and FFP pre-priced and negotiated supply Delivery Orders.
DIABLO is a single award, services and supply, 10-year (5-year base with a 5-year option), Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract with an estimated value of $631.2 million. A single award IDIQ contract was determined to be in the U.S. Government’s best interest based on the nature of the contract requirements.
“The DIABLO acquisition is a new approach to addressing PD SAI portfolio requirements to maintain agility and adaptability in addressing Army intelligence modernization goals,” said Dennis Teefy, PD SAI. “The Army is currently in the process of pivoting from Counterinsurgency/Counterterrorism operational needs to a more modernized Multi-Domain Operation [MDO] focus. This pivot sets the stage for future force requirements to provide interoperable, multimodal, and multifunctional aerial intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance [AISR] sensors and capabilities in highly contested and complex environments.”
To align with Army modernization needs and support the PD SAI portfolio through this regeneration process, the DIABLO acquisition will provide a portfolio-wide service and supply contracting approach to address AISR sensor life-cycle requirements.
The PD SAI pivot to a more modernized MDO focus drives the need for more platform agnostic solutions, which impacts an acquisition approach. Previous PD SAI acquisitions have focused on pursing platform sensing acquisitions and adapting sensing capabilities to specific platforms resulting in multiple configurations and software baselines.
“By becoming a sensor-centric organization, PD SAI will be able to provide full life-cycle sensing capabilities and support,” Teefy said. “This will include ensuring sensing technology is pacing emerging threats thereby ensuring sensing technology aligns to operational goals, mission requirements, and the selected platform constraints.”
With the need for PD SAI to provide MDO platform agnostic sensing capabilities, a holistic approach is required to ensure sensing technology designs and configurations are flexible and adaptable across all platform needs. This pivot drives the need for a single award approach, as a single source will be required to manage a complete sensing capability baseline ensuring a “pure fleet” approach resulting in orders being integrally related.
Currently, the Sensor Technology Operations and Readiness Maintenance (STORM) and Service Contract, Operations, and Logistics (SCOL) contracts provide operations and sustainment support to sensing Mission Equipment Packages (MEPs) on the Enhanced Medium Altitude Reconnaissance and Surveillance System, Guardrail Common Sensor, and Airborne Reconnaissance Low-Multifunction platforms. These platforms are slated for divestment by the end of Fiscal Year 2025 in lieu of modernizing to future business jet capabilities to address MDO requirements.
At the conclusion of the STORM and SCOL contracts, any remaining sensing MEPs on divesting platforms and/or any sensing capabilities identified to be enduring requirements will transition to the DIABLO contract for continued support.
“DIABLO is a portfolio-wide contact,” Teefy said. “It has been specifically constructed to serve as a tool to support AISR modernization. DIABLO will also ensure that PD SAI can provide seamless and on time sensing support to the Army’s Aviation Program Management Offices and our entire stakeholder community.”