G4S-SJC, LLC, of Fort Worth, Texas, protests the award of an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract to Black Construction/MACE International, JV (BC/MI), of Barrigada, Guam, under request for proposals (RFP) No. N62742-13-R-1303, issued by the Department of the Navy, Naval Facilities Engineering Command, for design-build and design-bid-build construction on the island of Diego Garcia, British Indian Ocean Territory. G4S challenges the agency's conclusion that its proposal was unacceptable. In addition, G4S asserts that Black Construction/MACE International proposal was unacceptable.

According to Fed Biz Opps the U.S. Army has posted a solicitation for Security Assistance Mentors and Advisors (SAMA) in Iraq. President Obama previously ordered up to 300 military advisers to Iraq in mid-June to assist Iraqi security forces and assess intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance assets in the region about 500 or so who are now on the ground.

According  to the solicitation the contractor shall provide advice and assistance to the Office of Security Assistance in Iraq. This contract will be similar to the mentoring and training program Dyncorp International was awarded in Afghanistan, but hopefully it will be better planned and executed. Read details about the contract solicitation below:

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is working to provide desperately needed humanitarian aid to the tens of thousands of innocent children, women, and men displaced by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant’s (ISIL) assault on Sinjar and surrounding areas of northern Iraq.

USAID is deploying humanitarian response experts to key locations in the region to help manage and coordinate U.S. Government support of the Government of Iraq’s humanitarian aid effort for those displaced by ISIL. On August 4, USAID authorized the UN World Food Program (WFP) to utilize for the Iraq Emergency Operation approximately 15 metric tons of USAID A-29 meal replacement bars already in country, which can meet the daily caloric requirements of 31,000 people.

Secretary of State John Kerry has announced that the U.S. Department of State plans to commit an additional $10 million for the U.S.-Africa Clean Energy Finance initiative (U.S.-ACEF), which is aimed at helping Africans transition away from traditional sources of energy that contribute to the global challenge of climate change.

Two out of three sub-Saharan Africans — nearly 600 million people — lack access to electricity. That forces them to spend significant income on costly and unhealthy forms of energy, such as diesel to run factory generators and wood for smoky indoor fires for cooking.

More than 80,000 Defense Department employees and contractors with security clearance owe back taxes, a June 28 Government Accountability Office report says. GAO found that about 83,000 DoD employees and contractors who held or were determined eligible for secret, top secret, or sensitive compartmented information clearances had unpaid federal tax debt totaling more than $730 million as of June 30, 2012, the report says.

DoD reported to GAO that about 3.2 million civilian and military employees and contractors held or were approved for clearances from Jan. 1, 2006, to Dec. 31, 2011, the timeframe GAO used for the review. More than 5.1 million federal employees--both civilian and military--and contractors held a security clearance as of October 2013, GAO says.

Throughout our nations history many civilians have served the US government in war zones. During this service civilians have faced the same dangers as uniformed veterans. However, upon returning home, these civilians have not always received the support and care they need and deserve.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) are increasingly prevalent among returning Civilian Veterans due to the types of service they are asked to perform - similar to their Uniformed Service Member counterparts. These injuries can take months or years to become apparent after time spent in a war zone. Many injuries, including TBI, lung ailments and cancers that are caused by exposure to certain war zone conditions may take years to manifest. 

The Department of State’s Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations (OBO) has selected 25 firms for an Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) worldwide design-build and construction services contract. OBO’s mission is to provide safe, secure and functional facilities that represent the U.S. government to the host nation and support our staff in the achievement of U.S. foreign policy objectives. These facilities should represent American values and the best in American architecture, engineering, technology, sustainability, maintainability, art, culture, and construction execution.

CONTRACTOR SUPPORT OF U.S. OPERATIONS IN THE USCENTCOM AREA OF RESPONSIBILITY

BACKGROUND: This report updates DoD contractor personnel numbers in theater and outlines DoD efforts to improve management of contractors accompanying U.S. forces. It covers DoD contractor personnel deployed in Afghanistan (Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF)) and the U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) area of responsibility (AOR).

KEY POINTS: In 3rd quarter FY 2014, USCENTCOM reported approximately 66,123 contractor personnel working for the DoD in the USCENTCOM AOR. This total reflects a decrease of approximately 12.5K from the previous quarter. A breakdown of DoD contractor personnel is provided below

Fact 1: It is not the case that all US troops will be removed from Afghanistan at the end of 2014.

In June 2011, President Obama announced his plan to begin the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan. But the president did not say that all US troops would leave Afghanistan by the end of 2014. What he did say was 10,000 troops would be removed by the end of the summer 2011, with 23,000 additional troops leaving at the end of the summer of 2012. After that, according to the President:

"our troops will continue coming home at a steady pace as Afghan security forces move into the lead. Our mission will change from combat to support. By 2014, this process of transition will be complete, and the Afghan people will be responsible for their own security."

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) recently evaluated the construction of U.S. Embassy Kabul due to “broad congressional interest” in the oversight and accountability of U.S. funds used in Afghanistan. The GAO wanted to see what contracts State put in place to construct new U.S. embassy facilities in Kabul starting in 2009; the extent to which construction requirements, cost, or schedule have changed, and the reasons for the changes; and the extent to which the present expansion matches projected needs.

DynCorp International Inc. announced a new CEO with little explanation for the departure of the old one. But it seems to be one more step toward an identity change of sorts for the McLean-based defense contractor.

Most identify DynCorp as a military contractor. Among other services, it’s long provided base support and facility operations around the globe. That focus served the company well, particularly with Iraq and Afghanistan operations; as DynCorp spokeswoman Beatrice Livioco told the Washington Business Journal in May: “When the coalition presence in Iraq and Afghanistan surged, we surged as well.”

A Blackwater security contractor threatened to kill a State Department investigator in Iraq who was looking into allegations of the company's cost over-runs, boozy parties, mistreatment of migrant workers and violence against civilians, according to a newly-released report.

Daniel Carroll, Blackwater’s project manager in Iraq, allegedly told Jean C. Richter that 'he could kill me at that very moment and no one could or would do anything about it as we were in Iraq,' in August 31, 2007, Richter claimed in an official report he filed after the fact.

KBR Inc. said the Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals affirmed the government contractor's use of private security contractors during combat operations in Iraq, clearing the way for KBR to recover $45 million for services rendered in 2003 to 2007.

The company, which performs engineering, construction and defense--said the decision also affirms the appropriateness of an added $10 million previously paid to KBR. The payment isn't expected to have a material impact on KBR's 2014 earnings.