Original Date: 02/26/2001
Revision Date: 01/18/2007

General Dynamics Armament Systems proposed and established the first known, prime contractor security management role for an Arms, Ammunition, and Explosives contract. The company’s innovative approach helped in winning a major contract for a non-traditional business venture. In addition, General Dynamics Armament Systems is exceeding the requirements of the awarded contract and building strong relationships with its customer.

In 1998, the U.S. Army issued a Request For Proposal (RFP) for demilitarization of several tons of outdated Arms, Ammunition, and Explosives (AA&E). Known as an Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract, this agreement would cover a five-year time period. With its many years of experience in building, testing, and safeguarding AA&E, General Dynamics Armament Systems (GDAS) decided to develop a bid in response to the RFP. The company had to develop an innovative approach since it had no experience in demilitarizing AA&E nor did it have the facilities for performing such activities.

The objective was to become the prime contractor and then have others perform the physical demilitarization work via strategic alliances and partnerships. Since demilitarization was new territory for GDAS, an innovative approach was necessary for success. The prime concerns for the company were the physical security compliance regulations. Not only would GDAS have to adhere to these regulations, but it would also have to ensure that its strategic partners and subcontractors were also compliant. Typical compliance operations involve constant surveillance and review of procedures. In GDAS’ case, it would be utilizing five different remote and offshore operators that were small- and medium-sized companies with limited security expertise. Constant surveillance of these companies would be cost prohibitive.

GDAS’ innovative approach to solve these potential problems was to develop a Beyond Compliance Program as part of its proposal. The company would handle physical security by establishing a Program Management Security Team and using complementary ongoing government reviews. The program management approach would ensure proper attention and management of security at the proper levels. The proposed Beyond Compliance Program included: conducting documentation review with the subcontractors during the proposal process; conducting site visits within four months of award of contract; having documented procedures and processes that used Defense Security Service checklists; tracking performance in a Demil database; and sharing results with Defense Security Service and the customer. In addition, regular program reviews and conference calls would be conducted among all parties, and biennial site visits would be conducted by GDAS’ security personnel and program management.

In 1999, GDAS was one of the two successful contractors selected for the demilitarization of Army munitions and explosives. The company has successfully demilitarized, salvaged for reuse, and recycled tons of AA&E. Through its proactive data sharing, GDAS has developed a successful government partnership with Defense Security Service and the customer’s security managers. In addition, the company established informal communication channels for support of unrelated efforts. To date, no known security incidents have occurred within the vast geographically dispersed demilitarization sites. GDAS continues to provide value to its customer by exceeding the contractual requirements at no additional cost.

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