Under Contract

• How much does the National Park Service spend on its Fourth of July fireworks display on the National Mall? According to contract documents, the agency contracted with Garden State Fireworks in a deal worth more than $240,500.

• The U.S. Agency for International Development inked a $20 million contract with Tetra Tech ARD to help in a five-year project to “strengthen regional cooperation for sustainable and legal management and trade of natural resources in Asia.” The program, called The Oceans and Fisheries Partnership, hopes to “increase the ability of regional fisheries organizations to conserve marine biodiversity and combat [illegal, unreported and unregulated] fishing in the Asia-Pacific region.” The goal is also to boost conservation and management standards in fisheries in at least eight countries in the Asia-Pacific region by 2020.  

{mosads}• Texas Agrilife Research, housed at Texas A&M University, received a contract worth up to $2.25 million to help the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service enforcement, investigations and analysis officer training. The USDA expects that about 80 individuals will need the training. The contractor will provide two classes each year, each lasting four weeks. The contractor must come up with a curriculum for the courses, facilities for training the students, and lodging. 

• The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has enlisted some IT support assistance with implementing and managing the agency’s National Flood Insurance Program. According to federal documents, the worth of the contract — awarded to Optimal Solutions & Technologies — is estimated at $131 million. It will be the primary go-to for the agency’s Write Your Own (WYO) program, which “allows participating property and casualty insurance companies to write and service the Standard Flood Insurance Policy in their own names.” FEMA says there are 5.6 million National Flood Insurance Program policies in place, sold and serviced through more than 80 private insurance companies participating in WYO. Services will include a wide-ranging suite of project management and support services, including ensuring “the financial integrity of the program.”