By: Brian Lindholm – FedSavvy Strategies
Recently, I read a blog from GovWin (formerly known as INPUT, FedSources and mySBX) about the very large U.S. Air Force Launch and Test Range System Integrated Support Contract (LTRS) – more commonly known as LISC. This is one of the single largest opportunities for service providers out there. I’ll give credit where credit is due, GovWin did a nice job in their blog to summarize LISC. This is especially the case if you know very little about LISC. So what is the long and the short of LISC? It’s a rare $3 billion opportunity to shape and integrate two very special space launch and test ranges. This kind of opportunity doesn’t come along every day.
Beyond the summary comments provided by GovWin, I’ll add my thoughts on LISC and some relevant history behind it to provide some more context for a broader audience of readers. U.S. Air Force Space Command (AFSC) is doing for its two ranges much of what the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy did for the largest four open air test ranges under the Joint Range Technical Services Contract – commonly known as J-Tech – started back in 2001. The contractor operating J-Tech is called Joint Test, Tactics and Training (JT3) – a joint venture of URS Corporation (formerly EG&G Technical Services) and Raytheon Technical Services Company (RTSC). The underlying idea behind J-Tech was to take four different ranges and integrate them to operate (more or less) as a single enterprise. This integration effort was to simplify operations, better enable work across the ranges and to reduce overall operating costs. This very ambitious idea became a reality with the four ranges (three Air Force, one Navy) actually achieving some significant synergies (please don’t shoot me for using that word…even I gagged a bit when I wrote it) and savings. J-Tech has been, as I’ve heard it to be the case, a very successful contract. The successes realized at J-Tech have become a model for others to follow.
Infographic: Business Wire
$3 billion. That’s the value of LISC. $3 billion is a mighty fun number to think about. Any business that thinks it can become a part of such a large contract could get very excited. However, the reality is LISC has been a ship that’s been sailing for some years now. The major competition for LISC has already established their core teams, their primary subcontractors, their secondary subcontractors, the team of interns to get coffee and dry cleaning, etc. Let’s take a look at who’s who in the LISC bidding zoo:
- InSpace21 – CSC (a range incumbent) and Honeywell One of the first to begin to establish their identity in pursuit of LISC.
- Consolidated Range Enterprise – The strategic alliance of Lockheed Martin, InDyne (a range incumbent) and URS Corporation.
- IBL JV LLC – Yet another one of the super teams is the joint venture of ITT-Exelis (a range incumbent), BAE Systems and L-3 Communications.
- Raytheon Technical Services Company – Raytheon (a range incumbent) has its own team with General Dynamics, ASRC Aerospace Corporation and World Technical Services Incorporated (WTSI). Editorial note: it’s interesting to see two parts of the bigger Arctic Slope (an Alaskan Native Corporation) working with Raytheon for the same pursuit.
- Northrop Grumman and Global AOC World Services – Supposedly working together to pursue LISC.
If you’ve already missed the LISC ship odds very much against you to have a good position this winner-takes-all bidding war. The same goes for the small business operations support opportunity. Affiliates of the companies pursuing the major LISC opportunity are going to be (or already are) very well positioned to win the small business opportunity. All things said, GovWin makes a very casual reference to the effect of what I’ve outright stated – if you’re not already pursuing LISC, it may not be wise to spend a lot to pursue this in the first place.
So what’s the lesson from this? Despite this very significant opportunity being already well established, there are still many opportunities out there for everyone to have a chance to pursue. Reading about existing, mature opportunities such as LISC are useful and educational. However, every company needs to have a pipeline of opportunities with time horizons measured in years away and not months away. This requires an upfront investment in strategic planning, market research and analysis followed up by diligent pursuit of the opportunities identified in the planning and analysis process…not playing RFP Whac-A-Mole.
Despite all of the pressures the swirling (and sometimes confusing) vortex of competitive information there are opportunities out there. Stay focused. Keep planning. Do your research. Pursue opportunities early and often. Good hunting!