CONTRACT TO CHANGE HANDS Raytheon wins bid to support Antarctic program After weeks of suspense, members of the U.S. Antarctic Program learned Friday that Raytheon Company has been awarded the 10-year government contract to support the National Science Foundation’s research in Antarctica. The contract, which goes into effect April 1, is worth $1.12 billion. It includes a five-year base period, after which NSF can opt for another five-year renewal. For the last decade the contract has been held by Antarctic Support Associates. ASA, along with Kellogg Brown & Root, competed with Raytheon as a finalist for the latest award. Raytheon, based in Lexington, Massachusetts, is a $28 billion corporation that made its name in the defense industry. The contract—one of the largest awarded by the federal government—is to provide science, operations and maintenance support to the U.S. Antarctic Program, including the bases at McMurdo, Pole, and Palmer, two research vessels and numerous field camps. According to Bob Valentine, a Raytheon spokesman, the new contractor will attempt to retain many of ASA’s current employees. “We’ll be meeting with the incumbent work force to talk to them with the objective of hiring as many of them as possible,” Valentine said. He said company representatives will soon be visiting the Ice to begin preparations for the next year’s changeover. Valentine described Raytheon officials as “elated” by the news of the contract award. In a statement to ASA employees, Karl Erb, the director of the Office of Polar Programs at NSF said, “ASA has been critical to U.S. Antarctic Program success in many areas over the years, and I thank you all. There remains much to do in Antarctica. I hope many of you will stay with us as we move into the future with Raytheon.” From the Antarctic Sun, 31 October 1999