March 12, 2003
Akal Security Inc. has won a $100 million contract to
guard federal buildings in four Midwestern states. It's the latest in
a series of government security contracts approaching half a billion
dollars for the Espa§ola firm.
"Everyone knows that the need for security and
the perceived and understood threat to our most vital government facilities
has certainly increased dramatically over the past 10 years and even
more dramatically since 9-11-01," Daya Khalsa, co-founder
and senior vice president of Akal, said Wednesday. "We're just
very proud that the quality of our past performance and reputation makes
us one of the prime choices for the government to provide that vital
security."
The latest contract runs 4 years and was awarded by
the Department of Homeland Security's Federal Protective Service for
security needs in Illinois, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Indiana.
"We will provide security for essentially every
federal building in all four of those states," Khalsa said.
He said about 530 guards will be used in the four states.
At the end of September, Akal was awarded three contracts
totaling $250 million by the U.S. Army to provide security guards at
Fort Hood in Texas, Fort Lewis in Washington, Fort Riley in Kansas,
Fort Campbell in Kentucky, Fort Stewart in Georgia and at Army weapons
depots in Sunny Point, N.C., Blue Grass, Ky., and Aniston, Ala.
Khalsa said the 38-month contracts will use 1,800 Akal
employees.
Akal in August was reawarded a contract by the U.S.
Marshals Service to provide court security officers for the 8th Judicial
Circuit courts in Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, Nebraska
and Arkansas. The contract totals $70 million over five years.
Akal also won a five-year, $55 million court security
contract for the 10th Judicial Circuit in New Mexico, Colorado, Utah,
Kansas, Oklahoma and Wyoming.
The two court contracts will employ about 500 people.
In November, Akal was awarded the contract to provide
security for the Baltimore international airport, a four-year, $18 million
agreement that will employ about 125.
"We'll do all the external security at the airport
such as gates, parking lots and secure areas - not passenger screening,"
Khalsa said.
And the company recently won security guard contracts
for the cities of Los Angeles, Tucson and Albuquerque.
"In L.A. we'll mostly guard city facilities, transportation
and city buildings and parks," Khalsa said. "In Tucson, it
involves mainly water utility and other city facilities."
The Albuquerque contract - for about $3 million over
four years - includes city facilities and exterior guarding of the Sunport.
The Los Angeles contract is about $10 million over four
years and the Tucson contract about $6 million over four years.
Akal has more than 10,000 employees and operates in
48 states. Khalsa did not disclose an annual revenue figure but said
Akal is one of the top five guard companies in the nation.
"We specialize in government security," Khalsa
said. "The federal government is by far our largest customer, but
we serve a lot of state and local governments as well as some major
corporate clients. All of this is supported from our headquarters in
Espa§ola."
The company was founded in 1980 by Khalsa and Gurutej
Khalsa. The two are not related, but are members of the Sikh religion.
"He was the security expert and I was tagging along," Daya
Khalsa said.
Gurutej Khalsa is senior vice president and head of
security operations for the company.
Daya Khalsa said Akal worked in New Mexico, Texas and
California in its early years, then started doing business with the
federal government in 1987.
"At the time we were categorized as a small business,"
he said. "Our dramatic growth started in the early 1990s, mostly
through federal work."
He said the key to Akal's success is "we work very
hard for our clients and we have a very high level of client satisfaction."
"Prospective clients know they will receive a real
commitment to their security from us," he said.
He said New Mexico also played a role.
"We were valued by New Mexicans early on,"
he said. "We attribute the foundation of our success to the kinds
of relationships we were able to build and the kind of support we got
from New Mexico businesses and state government."
Akal Security Inc., Santa Cruz, N.M., was awarded on
Sept. 30, 2003, a delivery order amount of $31,791,980 as part of a
$102,461,165 firm-fixed-price contract for security guard services.
Work will be performed at Fort Campbell, Ky. (45%), Fort Stewart, Ga.
(19%), Anniston Army Depot, Ala. (13%), Blue Grass Army Depot, Ky. (13%),
and Sunny Point, N.C. (10%), and is expected to be completed by Sept.
29, 2004. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal
year. There were an unknown number of bids solicited via the World Wide
Web on July 15, 2003, and 20 bids were received. The Northern Region
Contracting Center, Fort Eustis, Va., is the contracting activity (DABJ01-03-D-0038).
Akal Security Inc., Santa Cruz, N.M., was awarded on
Sept. 30, 2003, a delivery order amount of $18,872,191 as part of a
$61,823,792 firm-fixed-price contract for security guard services. Work
will be performed at Fort Hood, Texas, and is expected to be completed
by Sept. 29, 2004. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the
current fiscal year. There were an unknown number of bids solicited
via the World Wide Web on July 15, 2003, and 20 bids were received.
The Northern Region Contracting Center, Fort Eustis, Va., is the contracting
activity (DABJ01-03-D-0039).
Akal Security Inc., Santa Cruz, N.M., was awarded on
Sept. 30, 2003, a delivery order amount of $12,624,931 as part of a
$40,812,110 firm-fixed-price contract for security guard services. Work
will be performed at Fort Lewis, Wash. (75%), Fort Riley, Kan. (25%),
and is expected to be completed by Sept. 29, 2004. Contract funds will
not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. There were an unknown
number of bids solicited via the World Wide Web on July 15, 2003, and
20 bids were received. The Northern Region Contracting Center, Fort
Eustis, Va., is the contracting activity (DABJ01-03-D-0040).