- Details
- By Joe Boomgaard
- Native Contracting
CHESAPEAKE, Va. — A subsidiary of Goldbelt Inc., an Alaska Native Village Corporation based in Juneau, has received $125 million in contracts to help with the national COVID-19 vaccination program once a vaccine becomes available.
Goldbelt Security LLC, a products distribution and logistics firm based in Chesapeake, Va., will procure 530 million needles and syringes that will be used to administer the potential vaccine, according to an announcement of the award from the Department of Defense.
The Defense Department awarded the contract in support of the Strategic National Stockpile, which is part of the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Goldbelt Security will deliver the medical equipment to the Strategic National Stockpile by Dec. 31.
“Our interagency and industry partners have worked in lockstep, offering a critical solution to a formidable challenge,” said Doug Bryce, the executive officer of the Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear Defense (JPEO-CBRND). “Procuring additional syringes for the national stockpile will better prepare our nation to efficiently administer a safe, effective COVID-19 vaccine authorized by the FDA.”
Funding for the contract originated in the $2.2 trillion Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act passed by Congress and signed into law by President Trump in March.
Goldbelt Security, a U.S. Small Business Administration 8(a) certified minority contractor, received three separate procurement contracts for the medical equipment. The JPEO-CBRND partnered with HHS and the Army Contracting Command Aberdeen Proving Ground to select the company and award the contracts.
Previously, the Department of Defense awarded a range of large and small medical product manufacturers and distributors $104 million in contracts to procure 500 million syringes and safety needles for the potential COVID-19 vaccine campaign.
Representatives from Goldbelt Inc. and Goldbelt Security were not immediately available for comment.
Government contractor Goldbelt Security offers expedited procurement services for “mission critical solutions,” according to its website. The company, which earned 8(a) certification in 2017, works nationwide with offices in Alaska, Washington, D.C., New England, Miami, Fla., and Virginia Beach, Va.
Items Goldbelt Security can procure include garments and uniforms, medical kits, personal protective equipment, survival equipment, optics and sensors, trucks and vehicles and farming implements.
Parent company Goldbelt Inc. is a for-profit Alaska Native corporation that benefits more than 3,900 shareholders who are descendants of the Tlingit and Haida tribes in southeast Alaska.
The corporation owns 32,000 acres of land around the capital city of Juneau and has 21 operating units that sell goods and services in the transportation, internet technology, construction, tourism and other industries. It generates the majority of its revenue from government contracting and services.
According to a summary of its annual meeting posted on the company’s website, Goldbelt Inc. generated $240 million in revenues in 2019 and recorded $10.22 million in net income. Native shareholders of the company received a dividend of $5.50 per share, the largest in the company’s history.
“2019 represented an incredible year for Goldbelt,” Goldbelt President and CEO McHugh Pierre said in a statement about the annual meeting. “Our financial performance was record-breaking, an accomplishment that was made possible through the hard work and cooperation of our board, leadership team, and employees across all Goldbelt businesses. Focusing on high-skill, high-margin work has allowed Goldbelt to grow, driving business that is both profitable and meets our model and vision for the future.”
