WASHINGTON - The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has awarded contracts to nine vendors specializing in complementary positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) technologies. These contracts aim to enhance the security and reliability of the Global Positioning System (GPS), which supports various modes of transportation and is vital across many sectors, including surveying, finance, machine control, precision agriculture, science missions, and space applications. Due to its reliance on satellite signals from medium Earth orbit, GPS is susceptible to disruptions.
The awarded contracts, totaling more than $7.2 million, will fund the instrumentation, testing, and evaluation of Complementary PNT technologies at various field test ranges. This initiative, executed through the Volpe Center in response to the DOT Complementary PNT Action Plan, aims to facilitate the adoption of these technologies to improve PNT resiliency.
“DOT is impressed with the quality of the proposal responses and received more proposals than could be funded under Simplified Acquisition Procedure guidelines. DOT intends to move expeditiously to issue a Complementary PNT Rapid Phase II solicitation to expand the set of Complementary PNT technologies to be evaluated,” said DOT Chief Science Officer Dr. Robert C. Hampshire.
NAL Research, based in Virginia, received $144,599. Parsons, also located in Virginia, was awarded $132,416. Hoptroff, Inc., from California, received $934,076. Microchip, located in Colorado, was awarded $1,498,692. Safran, based in New York, received $245,300. Locata, from New York, was awarded $778,630. NextNav, based in California, received $1,876,968. Carahsoft, located in Virginia, was awarded $1,556,247.50. TERN AI, from Texas, received $51,780.
This effort addresses the increasing jamming and spoofing of Global Navigation Satellite Services, particularly GPS, which are prevalent in conflict zones and pose safety and security risks to U.S. critical infrastructure. Strengthening PNT resiliency is essential to implementing the Biden-Harris Administration’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and these awards are part of the administration’s broader efforts to enhance cybersecurity and reliability of critical infrastructure.
