SOS International announced today that it was selected out of 22 competing firms by the government of Iraq to serve as the exclusive provider of logistics, construction and life support services at four military facilities in Iraq. The sites, located in Besmaya, Balad, Taji and Um Qasr, are currently managed by the United States government under the auspices of the U.S. Embassy in Iraq.
SOSi will begin assuming responsibility for the facilities in September 2013, when the U.S. transitions control to the government of Iraq. The operations include construction and management of living and dining facilities, airfield operations, crash and fire rescue, and security.
Over the last 10 years, the Iraqi government has committed to purchasing several billion dollars’ worth of U.S. military equipment. Since the withdrawal of U.S. combat forces from Iraq in December 2011, more than a dozen large U.S. defense firms have deployed personnel and equipment to support these programs. The logistics, construction and life support services at these facilities have been provided under the U.S. Army’s Logistics Civil Augmentation Program, which comes to an end in December 2013. The Iraqi government awarded the concession as part of a broader effort to assume direct responsibility for its own military operations.
“Iraqi-funded purchases through the U.S. government’s foreign military sales program are a vital part of Iraq’s national and regional defense responsibilities,” said Frank Helmick, the company’s Vice President in its Mission Support business unit. “SOSi is honored to be a trusted partner of the Iraqi government as it takes over these critical operations.”
SOSi is anticipated to employ more than 1,500 full-time personnel in Iraq in support of this program, Helmick said. The company is partnered with five other businesses that will be responsible for various aspects of the project.
“In anticipation of increased commercial opportunities in Iraq, SOSi has invested a tremendous amount of time, energy and resources in developing its operational capabilities within the country over the past decade,” said Julian M. Setian, SOSi’s Chief Executive Officer. “With this win, we are uniquely positioned to play a vital strategic role in helping to normalize U.S.-Iraqi relations by transitioning these legacy U.S. government contracts into commercial business arrangements with the Iraqi government.”
AWARDEE
For more than 23 years, large private and public sector clients have relied on SOS International LLC for their most critical operations. SOSi is privately held, was founded by its current ownership in 1989, maintains corporate headquarters in New York City and specializes in providing logistics, management, training, intelligence, and engineering solutions throughout the world.
