ATA receives highest award fee rating since contract start Published Nov. 15, 2007 By Janae Daniels AEDC/PA ARNOLD AIR FORCE BASE, Tenn. -- The Air Force announced the semiannual award fee for Arnold Air Force Base's (AEDC) support contractor, Aerospace Testing Alliance (ATA), for the period April 1 through Sept. 30, 2007. ATA received a rating of 92 percent, resulting in $6,274,000 of its possible award fee of $7,129,000. Both the rating and the dollar amount are the highest since the contract's initial award period in 2004. With one exception, both the percentage rating and dollar amount have increased over the preceding contract period. "Thanks once again for your excellent performance for the period that just ended," said Dr. David Elrod, ATA general manager. "The score reflects recognition of both your strong performance in support of AEDC's mission and our opportunity to continue to improve and attain even higher levels of performance in the future." Dr. Elrod also noted that more employees went home safe at the end of each workday during this period than in any prior period. The dollar figure for the last six month period is nearly double the $3.6 million fee awarded after the first six months of the contract. The award fee determining official, AEDC commander Col. Arthur Huber, approved the fee, the eighth under a contract that began in October 2003. ATA was awarded the center support and testing contract June 30, 2003. The operating contract is for up to 12 years and worth potentially $2.7 billion. ATA currently employs more than 2,300 people from 15 Tennessee counties and four states.