Press Release
Block MEMS Selected to Participate in the JE-RDAP $8 Billion Government Contract for the Development and Sale of Chemical and Biological Detection Equipment
Southborough, MA – December 20, 2017
Block MEMS, LLC (Block) has been selected to participate in an $8,276,161,000 contract for Joint Enterprise Research, Development, Acquisition, Production and Procurement (JE-RDAP) program to support research and development of chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and high-yield explosives defense systems, capabilities, equipment, supplies and material. The JE-RDAP is an enterprise-wide omnibus Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract vehicle awarded by the Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical and Biological Defense (JPEO-CBD) and will be used to execute activities related to their mission to protect the nation against Weapons of Mass Destruction.
Block's products are based on the use of Mid-Infrared Spectroscopy for detection of Chemical Threats and fit well within the scope of the JE-RDAP. They include: (a) PORTHOS™, a long (5 km), standoff detection, passive FTIR system, (b) LaserWarn™, a Quantum Cascade Lasers (QCLs) based chemical detection system for large, critical infrastructure monitoring, (c) LaserSense™, a QCL-based, point sensor that can detect gaseous/vapor threats and, (d) LaserTune™, a QCL-based Mid-Infrared Source for development of new chemical detection technologies.
Dr. Petros Kotidis, Block's CEO, commented, "Block is very pleased to receive the JE-RDAP Award and be selected as one of the providers of Chemical Detection Solutions. We feel that this award is a recognition of the significant value offered by our products, which are deployed to protect our warfighters, assist our intelligence community and save the lives of our fellow citizens. Block has been supporting the Department of Defense, Intelligence Community and Department of Homeland Security for decades and we are committed to continue serving our customers in the future under the JE-RDAP Program."
Dr. Dan Cavicchio, Block's Executive Chairman and Co-Owner, added. "Weapons of Mass Destruction are proliferating and the threats are becoming more and more complex every day, as put forth in the President's recent National Security Strategy. Block has significant technical capabilities and decades long experience with sophisticated instruments for protection against such threats. We are honored to be awarded the JE-RDAP and we look forward to working with the JPEO-CBD."
About Block MEMS LLC:
Block MEMS, LLC is an engineering, development and production company focusing on the R&D and manufacturing of high performance Quantum Cascade Lasers (QCLs) and FTIR spectrometers. Block MEMS has been awarded numerous government contracts over the past decade for the application of its technologies toward the detection of explosives, buried IEDs, chemical warfare agents, toxic industrial materials and chemical clouds. Both standoff and sampling systems have been developed and delivered to the government for additional testing and evaluation. For example, LaserWarn™ is a QCL-based system that is used to protect critical facilities against chemical attacks by establishing a "chemical trip-wire" using eye-safe laser beams.
