Space Force plans $946M sole-source award because Boeing won't sell data rights

Talk about vendor lock-in.

The Space Force says it has no choice but to hand Boeing a sole-source sustainment contract worth up to $945.9 million because the company will not sell the data needed to let anyone else do the work.

Boeing built the Wideband Global SATCOM (WGS) and Ultra High Frequency Follow-On (UFO) satellites, as well as key parts of their ground control system. The company is the only one that can sustain the system under the contract because Boeing controls the data that the system relies on to operate.

Space Force has tried to buy the data, but “Boeing has repeatedly declined the government’s requests to sell the necessary data rights,” according to the Oct. 27 Sam.gov notice detailing the sole-source award plan.

“This proprietary data, which was developed at private expense, includes detailed design documentation for the Boeing 702HP and 702MP satellite platforms, simulators, and ground control software,” the notice adds.

Officials at Boeing and Space Force declined to comment.

Space Force has not made the award yet and a comment period is open until Nov. 17.

The anticipated contract will have a five-year base period and a single 10-year option period. Work under the new contract will full life-cycle engineering, sustainment, cybersecurity, modernization, and operational enhancement support for multiple military satellite communications constellations.

Specific work areas include space vehicle and constellation sustainment, ground command and control systems, and software, database and simulation sustainment.

The contract also covers the movements of new satellites, including WGS-11 and WGS-12, and the Protected Tactical SATCOM Prototype payload into sustainment.

The notice says Boeing is uniquely qualified because of its exclusive ownership of the data, software and specialized infrastructure required to do the work.

Space Force says no other contractor the required engineering and sustainment without a substantial duplication of cost, unacceptable delays, and risk to on-orbit assets.

Space Force also says its market research showed that Boeing is the only company that can meet all the requirements of the contract without a break in critical service to operators.