Contracts

Los Angeles-based Larta Institute will manage a commercialization assistance program for the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH), located in Bethesda, MD. The multi-year, $2.5 million nationwide program will help promising life science companies bring their tech-nologies to market. The project includes a first-year award of $844,000 to Larta Institute.

Larta will provide assistance to NIH Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II awardees in the areas of business development, funding and capital acquisition, government regulatory processes, intellectual property protection, licensing strategies, and merger and acquisition opportunities.

"NIH is interested in seeing products derived from SBIR funding make their way into the marketplace for the benefit of the American people," says NIH SBIR/STTR Program Coordinator Jo Anne Goodnight. "We are excited about this opportunity to translate some of the exciting research results into successful ventures that could benefit the economy and improve people's lives."

Harris Corp., Melbourne, FL, has been selected by the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) for a potential 10-year, $1 billion program to provide operations, maintenance, and support services for the agency's global communications and information technology (IT) systems.

The NRO designs, builds, and operates the nation's reconnaissance satellites, providing the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), Department of Defense (DoD), and other U.S. government agencies with relevant products. Harris will act as prime contractor, with assistance from Raytheon, AT&T, and CACI International, Inc.

Graybar, St. Louis, MO, a distributor of communications and electrical products and related supply chain management and logistics services, has won a two-year contract renewal with the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), valued at an estimated $40 million.

Under the prime vendor contract, Graybar provides maintenance, repair, and operations (MRO) supplies and related services to the U.S. military and federal civilian agencies in the DLA Northeast Region, Zone 2. The contract includes provisions for eight one-year extensions.

In addition to its DLA contracts, Graybar holds contracts with the General Services Administration (GSA) and U.S. Communities.

MX Logic, Inc., Denver, CO, a provider of e-mail defense solutions, has added 10 government entities to its list of customers: California Integrated Waste Management Board; Colorado Department of Public Safety; Fairfax County (VA) Water Authority; Fort Worth, TX, Transportation Authority; Jefferson County (CO) Public School System; Larimer County, CO; Overseas Private Investment Corp. (OPIC); Santa Cruz, CA, Superior Court; Tampa, FL, Municipal Government; and Texas Department of Agriculture.

The entities will rely on the company's e-mail Defense Service to safeguard their messaging systems against spam and other e-mail threats.

Houston-based SkyPort International, Inc. and Herndon, VA-based iDirect Technologies, Inc. have been awarded a contract for a joint satellite solution to provide an emergency communications network to National Guard teams designed to assist civilian agencies during a crisis or terrorist threat.

The National Guard teams, known as CERFP (Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, or High Yield Explosive Enhanced Response Force Package), will support civilian first-responder teams around the country. Satellite networks deployed to these teams will provide a high-speed Internet Protocol (IP) network that supports secure voice, video, and broadband data in the event of loss or degradation of landline communications networks.

The contract calls for multiple fixed and/or mobile satellite links at 33 initial sites across the United States. As backup to terrestrial communications, the network will reconnect various agencies, including the National Guard, city and state emergency management agencies, and federal Department of Homeland Security (DHS) resources.

The City and County of Honolulu have placed an order with AT&T Wireless for 1,600 EDGE wireless modem cards. The cards will work in conjunction with laptops mount-ed in patrol cars, fire trucks, and other emergency vehicles, allowing fast dispatch of first responders to incident scenes.

The modem cards will give personnel direct access to local, state, and federal criminal databases and the ability to retrieve suspects' photographs and documents. First responders will be able to write and transmit reports directly from their vehicles. Deployment is expected to be complete this fall.

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has awarded a contract to ePlus Technology, Inc., Herndon, VA, for IT networking gear, as well as disk drives, printers, and other computer peripherals. The contract, which is renewable up to four years, will save Pennsylvania taxpayers $8.5 million, or 36 percent annually.

Nine percent of the value of the contract will go to small, disadvantaged Pennsylvania businesses, including Pierson Consulting, Solutions4Networks, University Business Machines, and Office Machine Sales and Service.

"This contract award continues the reduction of costs for the taxpayers of Pennsylvania in the purchasing of goods and services to supply Commonwealth workers," says General Services Secretary Don Cunningham. "It also continues to increase opportunity for small, disadvantaged businesses to participate in government contracts."