Northrop Grumman, a global security company, providing innovative systems, products, and solutions in aerospace, electronics, information systems, shipbuilding and technical services to government and commercial customers worldwide, has been named as one of four contractors to work on the Department of Defense’s huge RFID III contract.

 

Under the terms of the contract, Northrop Grumman's Information Systems sector will deliver active RFID tags, readers, mobile kits, and accompanying software, along with the engineering services required to implement the technology.

 

The company is offering some insight into its role in the $429 million, indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract, which will be in effect for the next three years, with as many as seven one-year extensions possible.

 

The company will also be responsible for providing the hardware, maintenance, training and data management of the tags and work on the design and development of new applications as needed.

 

“Northrop Grumman has more than ten years of experience providing RFID solutions to government customers," said Tom Shelman, vice president and general manager of Northrop Grumman Information Systems' Civil Systems division. "This win is a tribute to our excellent record of integrating legacy systems with new RFID technologies."

 

The company will partner with a number of other corporations to fulfill the contract, including Evigia Systems, Onyx Government Services, CYTEC Software Systems, and XIO Strategies. 

 

RFID III is the successor to the Army’s RFID II contract, started in January 2003, and represents a move within the U.S. Department of Defense towards a competitive approach to RFID technology procurements, based on international standards.

 

Currently, RFID tags are attached to approximately 125,000 shipments of military supplies each week. As shipments pass through field locations, fixed and handheld readers send and receive data to and from the tags.