WASHINGTON — The Defense Information Systems Agency on Nov. 22 published a request for proposals for low Earth orbit satellite-based services.
Up to $900 million worth of task orders will be awarded over the next five years under an indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract. Proposals are due May 31, 2024.
The Proliferated Low Earth Orbit (PLEO) Satellite-Based Services contract, first announced in July, is run by the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) on behalf of the Space Force’s Commercial Satellite Communications Office (CSCO), a central marketplace for satellite services operated by the Space Systems Command.
Four new vendors added
Initially only 16 vendors were selected to compete for task folders under the IDIQ contract: ARINC, Artel, Capella Federal, BlackSky, SES, Hughes, Viasat, KGS, Intelsat General, OneWeb, PAR Government, RiteNet Corporation, Satcom Direct Government, SpaceX, Trace Systems and UltiSat. Since then, four more — AT&T, Honeywell Aerospace, Iridium and Lynk Global — have been added to the roster.
The PLEO contract “supports the Department of Defense’s requirement to provide worldwide, low-latency PLEO services,” said DISA. The IDIQ contracting method allows the Department of Defense, other federal agencies and international allies “to procure fully managed satellite-based services and capabilities for all domains (space, air, land, maritime and cyber) with a consistent, quality-backed, low-latency offering.”
A $70 million task order was awarded to SpaceX in September for Starlink communications services.
More task orders will be awarded for a wide range of services, said the Space Systems Command, including high-speed broadband, synthetic aperture radar imaging, space domain awareness; and alternative positioning, navigation and timing.
The IDIQ is a “multiple partner/multiple award” contract model that encourages vendors to team up. “This approach promises…
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