ATA announces award fee

  • Published
  • By Philip Lorenz III
  • AEDC/PA
ARNOLD AIR FORCE BASE, Tenn. --  The Air Force announced an award fee rating of 94 for the Arnold Engineering Development Center's (AEDC) operating contractor, Aerospace Testing Alliance (ATA), for the period April 1-Sept. 30, 2011.

The award fee determining official (FDO), Randall D. Culpepper, gave the contractor high marks with an excellent overall rating in the areas evaluated. Culpepper is the Deputy Program Executive Officer for Combat and Mission Support, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition in Washington, D.C.

Addressing AEDC's contractor workforce in "Straight Talk," the company's in-house newsletter, ATA General Manager Steve Pearson said, "We were extremely pleased with the score and it reflects the hard work and dedication of all of you. Times are tough and we do not have all the folks we need, but through it all you find a way to keep the center humming and meeting the needs of our warfighters - a job done very well."

Pearson said the company will share a portion of the award fee money with its employees.

"After the first eight years of the contract (fiscal year 2004 through fiscal year 2011), ATA has the ability to earn up to four additional years - called Award Term years - and they are awarded one year at a time," he said. "There are two criteria for the award, first, [the] award fee score must average 90 for a specified period and secondly, [it must] meet the requirements of the contract statement of objectives.

"For the first Award Term Year (2012), the period of performance was fiscal year 2009 and fiscal year 2010. We were successful in being awarded FY12 last year. In order to be awarded fiscal year 2013, the performance period was a single fiscal year (FY11).

"We were notified later in the day by the AEDC Commander, Col. Michael Brewer and the contracting officer, Mr. John Sutton, that the FDO had awarded ATA the second award term year, FY13. The third award term year (FY14) will be awarded based upon the same evaluation criteria for our performance in FY12"

ATA was awarded the center support and testing contract on June 30, 2003. The operating contract is for up to 12 years and worth potentially $2.7 billion. ATA currently employs more than 1,800 people from 15 Tennessee counties and four states.

ATA is a joint venture of Jacobs Engineering, Computer Sciences Corp. and General Physics Corp.