The FAA has awarded a $437 million contract to Raytheon to support the agency in training air traffic controllers.
"This is a performance-based contract that is designed to allow us to train controllers better, faster and cheaper," said acting administrator Robert Sturgell, adding that it includes incentives to improve quality and reduce cost and time.
The 10-year contract replaces separate contracts to support initial training at the FAA Academy in Oklahoma City and to support ongoing training in air traffic facilities nationwide.
The agency said consolidation into a single contract would give Raytheon the ability to support the entire lifecycle of controller training and allow it to provide more integrated training activities throughout a controller’s career.
The FAA said it has the flexibility to update the training and adapt to ongoing changes in technology, aviation procedures and operations that will impact the way controllers handle air traffic in the future, and that Raytheon would be responsible for helping train controllers from the time they are hired until they leave the agency.
However, the FAA is to retain management of the overall training program, recruiting and hiring candidates, conducting performance verification, on-the-job training and credentialing.
