After repeated delays the Air Force Space Command released its request for proposals (RFP) in a winner-take-all contest to build 22 new GPS III satellites.
The total procurement, which could be worth some $10 billion, will go to a single bidder, the Air Force Space Command confirmed in the announcement posted Feb, 13 on FedBizOpps.gov. The deal will be structured as a "predominantly Fixed Price Incentive-type contract" with delivery of the first spacecraft expected in 2026. Construction is to begin in fiscal year 2019, which starts October 1 of this calendar year.
The RFP follows a May 2016 award of three fixed-price contracts to Boeing Network and Space Systems, Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems and incumbent GPS III contractor Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company, which is building the first 10 GPS III satellites. The 2016 contracts were meant to assess if there were viable alternatives to build the rest of the GPS III spacecraft.
Last month Inside GNSS published an update on the GPS III RFP. To read "Industry Awaits GPS III RFP As Delays Mount", click here.
