Army releases market survey for Stryker maintenance

The Army is interested in the capability of companies besides the original manufacturer to provide logistics and maintenance support to the Stryker infantry vehicle, according to a market survey released Sept. 10.

General Dynamics Land Systems, which builds the Stryker, holds the current logistics and maintenance contract for the vehicle, according to an Army notice for the market survey. The market survey will help determine whether any other companies could compete to maintain the Stryker.

Federal acquisition rules require that the Army "continuously conducts market research . . . to determine whether other capabilities of industry can be used to fulfill its life cycle requirements and to ensure its acquisition methods obtain the best value for the Government," according to the notice.

General Dynamics Land Systems holds the technical data rights to the vehicle, and federal law prohibits the Army from forcing the company to share technical data with a third party, according to the notice for the market survey. This can make it difficult for a new company to compete against the original manufacturer.

The logistics supply chain for the Stryker includes "25,000 lines of parts supporting 4300 vehicles worldwide across 27 variants," according to the market survey. Contractors would need to make spare parts readily available while limiting excess inventory.

Since the Stryker entered service, the Army has sought to purchase the data rights to new systems. This is supposed to allow for more competition in life-cycle management contracts and system upgrades, which could lower costs.

The government owns the data rights to the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle, the partial replacement for the humvee, and there is competition for a JLTV follow-on production contract that the Army plans to award in the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2022. GM Defense, a General Motors subsidiary, has challenged the incumbent, Oshkosh Defense.