The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) today awarded Lockheed Martin a $308 million contract to build a permanent archives system to preserve and manage electronic records created by the federal government.

Today's announcement, by Archivist of the United States Allen Weinstein at the National Archives in Washington, DC, initiates a six-year program to develop the Electronic Records Archives (ERA) system for NARA. Work will be performed at Lockheed Martin offices in Greenbelt, MD, in coordination with NARA offices in the Washington metropolitan area.

A major initiative to help enable the successful move to government-wide electronic records management, the ERA system will capture electronic information -- regardless of its format -- save it permanently, and make it accessible on whatever future hardware or software is currently in use. While the full system is scheduled to be completed by 2011, a functional subset of the system will be operating within two years.

"We're extremely pleased our team was selected by the National Archives for a program that will be critical in preserving the acts and facts of our entire federal government," said Don Antonucci, president of Lockheed Martin Transportation and Security Solutions. "We are committed to helping the NARA team build a digital archives solution that will set the standard for authenticity, persistence and service."

"The Lockheed Martin team was selected for its systems integration expertise, developing innovative technologies for large-scale government IT projects," said Kenneth Thibodeau, NARA's project director. "The team's solution offers a highly flexible, scalable system that will allow NARA to adapt and expand its archiving capabilities as new technologies emerge."

As the prime contractor for the ERA project, Lockheed Martin will lead a team of companies with archiving and data management expertise. The team includes BearingPoint Inc., McLean VA; Fenestra Technologies Corp., Germantown, MD; FileTek Inc., Rockville, MD; History Associates Inc., Rockville, MD; EDS Corp., Plano, TX; Image Fortress Corp., Westford, MA; Metier Ltd., Washington, DC; Science Applications International Corp. (SAIC), San Diego, CA; and Tessella Inc., Newton, MA.

"With the ERA initiative, the National Archives is taking a true leadership position in the digital preservation challenge," said Andy Patrichuk, Lockheed Martin's vice president responsible for the ERA program. "Not only are archives across the globe facing the challenge of maintaining electronic data, this innovation could have countless positive implications for individuals, private businesses, and government organizations alike."

"Our Lockheed Martin team stands ready to use our proven systems integration skills to bring a functional electronics records archives online - - one that is ready to serve our nation, citizens and the men and women on the National Archives team," he added.

NARA ensures, for the citizen, the President, the Congress and the Courts, ready access to essential evidence that documents the rights of citizens, the actions of federal officials, and the national experience.

Headquartered in Bethesda, MD, Lockheed Martin employs about 130,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture and integration of advanced technology systems, products and services.

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SOURCE: Lockheed Martin