8 small businesses to help Air Force with e-systems

The Air Force has awarded contracts worth a total of $800 million to eight small businesses to support the service’s Electronic Systems Center.The companies are Abacus Technology, Business Technologies and Solutions, Gemini Industries, Oasis Systems, Odyssey Systems Consulting Group, PESystems, Quantech Services and Sumaria Systems, according to the Air Force.Under the Professional Advisory Support Services (PASS) program, the companies will provide nontechnical acquisition support to the center for five years. They will provide their services at the center’s headquarters at Hanscom Air Force Base in Massachusetts and at other units nationwide.Companies that win task orders under the program will provide a range of services, including those that support research, development and production activities. The scope of work includes acquisition, financial, contracting, administrative and human resources management.PASS is the second component of a three-part effort to replace the Air Force’s existing vehicle for such services, the $1.4 billion Information Technology Services Program (ITSP) II. Those contractors constitute nearly 40 percent of the center’s workforce.ITSP II is set to expire June 30. The Air Force plans to award the final component -- the $480 million, three-year Engineering and Technology Acquisition Support Services contract -- to a team of vendors by the end of May.The Air Force expects to award the first three task orders for PASS in the next few weeks.To maintain support during the transition, the center is awarding more than 100 short-term task orders to the existing ITSP II contractors. , .