Customs and Border Protection’s forthcoming competition for new command and control platform will integrate sensor and data feeds from the entire range of surveillance towers and other sensors, the agency says.
The agency’s other forthcoming major acquisition effort, the Integrated Surveillance Tower (IST) program, will be just one customer for the Common Operating Picture (COP) program, not the only one, according to slides that CBP posted this month from its Jan. 13 virtual industry day to discuss both programs.
The COP will be the user interface for Border Patrol agents to manage IST sensors, monitor sensor health, and use sensor data to help differentiate, identity and track items of interest.
In December, CBP issued a draft request for proposal (RFP) for the IST Towers, Power, Instrumentation, and Communications (TPIC) and COP efforts to receive industry feedback before releasing a final TPIC RFP. The two programs will be separate acquisition efforts.
The draft solicitation said that the agency plans to award one or more contracts for the IST TPIC by the second quarter of fiscal year 2022. One of the industry day slides says that the contract will be a multiple award contract with up to three vendors selected. Another slide said the acquisition strategy for the COP is still being developed.
The slides say the TPIC program will be a “combined program of record with a unified contract structure,” which will “Increase management and logistical support efficiency.”
Currently, CBP manages various surveillance tower efforts through separate acquisition programs. These include the Remote Video Surveillance System (RVSS)-Upgrade, Integrated Fixed Towers (IFTs), Autonomous Surveillance Towers (ASTs), and Northern Border-RVSS. The Northern Border-RVSS includes the Maritime Detection Project and California Coastal Surveillance efforts.
Anduril Industries is the prime contractor for the ASTs, General Dynamics [GD] is the prime for the RVSS-Upgrade and Elbit Systems of America the prime for the IFTs. CBP says the RVSS-U and IFT contracts are nearing the end of their period of performance.
The TPIC contract will be indefinite-delivery, indefinite quantity (ID/IQ) and have a period of performance up to 14 years, including an 18-month base period, one 3-year, five-month option, one five-year options, and two two-year options. The initial delivery order will include at least five IST towers awarded to each vendor. CBP say that vendors must provide the tower components for integration with the COP 30 days after contract award.
Delivery orders two and beyond will be competed amongst the winning ID/IQ contractors.
One of the slides says that CBP estimates it needs a combination of 465 new towers and upgrades to legacy towers in 11 different sectors along the southern and northern borders.
The tower component to TPIC will be either fixed or relocatable. The instrumentation covers radar, imaging sensors, and other emerging sensors that provide surveillance.