SPAWAR Selects Winning Bidder for CANES Design
First installation planned for fleet destroyer in late FY2012
The Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command, San Diego, has selected Northrop Grumman Space and Mission Systems Corporation to develop and produce the Navy's next-generation tactical afloat network, Consolidated Afloat Networks and Enterprise Services (CANES).
Northrop Grumman was issued a $36,646,047 delivery order February 1 for the procurement of the CANES network infrastructure to include guided missile destroyer (DDG) variant first article; DDG variant production unit; and multipurpose amphibious assault ship (LHD) variant first article. This contract includes options which, if exercised at the maximum quantities, would bring the cumulative value of the contract to an estimated $637,773,236. The Defense Department announcement can be accessed at www.defense.gov/contracts/
"This down-select option award was the culmination of the Engineering and Manufacturing Development (EMD) phase of the program," said Capt. D.J. LeGoff, USN, program manager for the Tactical Networks Program Office in a written announcement. "Many factors were evaluated during the down-select evaluation process and we are confident that warfighter needs will be met. CANES is the Navy's only modernization option for information technology afloat."
The next step in the program is completion of an operational assessment in SPAWAR's Enterprise Engineering and Certification laboratory in support of a Milestone C decision in the summer of 2012. The Milestone C decision will commit the Department of Defense to production and authorizes the program entry into limited deployment. The first CANES installation aboard a fleet destroyer is planned for late fiscal year 2012. Ultimately, CANES will be deployed to more than 180 ships, submarines and Maritime Operations Centers by 2020.
The result of this down-select will allow the winning contractor to produce limited deployment units in fiscal years 2012 and 2013. Following this current contract, the CANES program is planning for separate full and open competitions for the full deployment phase of the program. The full deployment production unit contract is planned for award in the third quarter of fiscal year 2013 with the engineering support services contract following with a planned award in first quarter fiscal year 2014.
"The EMD phase was successful and the competitive nature of the contracts achieved its purpose of being able to procure a technically capable CANES systems at an affordable price," said Capt. LeGoff. "The CANES acquisition strategy is built upon a foundation of competition throughout the program's lifecycle."
CANES is the consolidation and enhancement of five shipboard legacy network programs and will provide the common computing environment infrastructure for command, control, communications, computers and intelligence (C4I) applications that currently require system-specific infrastructure to operate legacy systems.
Consolidation through CANES will eliminate many legacy, stand-alone networks while providing an adaptable and responsive information technology platform to rapidly meet changing warfighter requirements. This strategy strengthens the network's infrastructure, improves security and decreases total ownership costs. In addition to providing greater capability, CANES will allow sailors to benefit from reduced operations and sustainment workloads as a result of common equipment, training and logistics.
