Work with Rock Island Arsenal
Posted by: Prosperity Eastern Iowa on 2/6/2008

Rock Island Arsenal, Rock Island, IL

Rock Island Arsenal Garrison is an active U.S. Army facility located on a 946-acre island in the Mississippi River in the Quad City region, which consists of Moline and Rock Island in Illinois, Davenport and Bettendorf in Iowa. Its origins go back to 1816, when Fort Armstrong was built on the island and was instrumental in keeping the peace when it served as military headquarters during the Black Hawk War of 1832. Today, Rock Island Arsenal (RIA) Garrison is our nation's largest government-owned and operated arsenal.

RIA's role in supplying the U.S. military continues to grow. As part of their mission, the Arsenal frequently has the need to contract manufacturing projects and other types of services to private industry. In 2007, they contracted out $200 million of work from their Joint Manufacturing Technology Center alone. Under a federal competition act, 85% of RIAs contracted projects are set aside for small businesses. Their contracting staff also expresses interest in working with contractors within 100 miles of their installation, which readily includes the Prosperity Eastern Iowa region.

The following list describes the main categories of work for which Rock Island Arsenal has established Blanket Purchase Agreements (BPA) during the last two years. A BPA is a pre-contractual agreement that allows for quicker contracting if any of these types of work becomes available. Having a BPA may make it more likely that a company will be contacted for a quote, although it does not guarantee that a company will receive any contracts.

laser cutting, water jet cutting, plasma cutting, machining, metal fabricating, Chemical Agent Resistant Coating painting, other military vehicle and parts painting, heat treating (ion nitride & carburization), plating foam cutting

The point of contact for information on BPAs is R. Burdette Orris, 309-782-8513, reuben.b.orris@us.army.mil, or Cathy Mueller, 309-782-8537, cathy.mueller@us.army.mil.

In order for a company to provide components or services to Rock Island Arsenal, they must first register at the Central Contracting Registration web site at www.ccr.gov. At that site, click on the menu item on the left side of the page that says "Start New Registration" to begin this process, and follow the instructions given. Find help in this process at www.ccr.gov/Help.aspx.

The Army's Acquisition Business web site is at https://acquisition.army.mil/asfi/. You can view current business opportunities by clicking on the link "Contracting Opportunities Search." To work with Rock Island Arsenal organizations, search in the "Select Contract Office" under the following organizations: JMTC; TACOM - Rock Island; US Army Engineer District, Rock Island; and US Army Sustainment Command.

RIA contracting professionals emphasize that projects will be awarded to the "lowest, responsive, responsible bidder." Contractors are not required to be ISO certified, although in the beginning of the working relationship, RIA quality control specialists will test or inspect the first deliveries supplied by a contractor to make sure that the piece meets their specifications.

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