Army to recompete unmanned ground vehicle project; new robotic mule competition to launch later this month
WARREN, Mich. – The U.S. Army Contracting Command, in the face of an industry protest, canceled a General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS) contract to build the squad multi-purpose equipment cargo carrier vehicle, according to one of the program’s participants. National Defense magazine reports. Continue reading original article
The Military & Aerospace Electronics take:
13 Jan. 2020 -- GDLS in late October was awarded the contract worth $162 million to build the SMET, an unmanned cargo carrier intended to lighten the load of soldiers in the field and perform other missions.
One of the three other competitors for the unmanned ground vehicle program, Textron, filed a protest with the Government Accountability Office. However, the Army in December decided to terminate the contract and recompete the program prior to a GAO ruling.
“The government is taking corrective action following a GAO protest, and intends to resolicit for SMET ... Vendors can expect a new [request for proposals] in January, and will have 30 days to submit a bid. The target award date is 30 April 2020,” according to an Army Contracting Command statement.
John Keller, chief editor
Military & Aerospace Electronics
