Iron Bow Technologies, a Herndon-based IT solutions provider, is ramping up local hiring to help a Reston-based defense contracting giant fulfill a $2.8 billion contract.
Peraton, also an IT solutions provider primarily in the national security sector, announced the award of the Special Operations Forces IT Enterprise Contract on Feb. 7. Over the next eight years, the task order calls for Peraton to provide operations and maintenance services for various systems and network infrastructure as well as user and device support for the U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) and its component commands, theater special operations commands, deployed forces and others.
To aid in these efforts, Peraton has enlisted Iron Bow to help with IT modernization initiatives and to provide technology evaluation, among other efforts. That will require a ramp-up of hiring across Iron Bow's footprint to keep up with demands, an effort that has already started, Rob Watson, Iron Bow vice president of sales, said in an email. Iron Bow declined to provide specific hiring goals as it relates to this contract, or how much its cut of the total contract value will be.
"Iron Bow has already begun expanding its team significantly to support this contract and intends to further broaden our workforce in the future," Watson said. "With a longstanding presence in Northern Virginia's technology hub and a new headquarters in Herndon since 2021, we're well-positioned to tap into top talent from the DMV Tech community."
The award, Watson said, "is a significant milestone for Iron Bow," which was founded in 1983 and acquired by Miami-based private equity firm H.I.G. Capital in 2018. The company, which reported $1.37 billion in 2023 revenue, ranks as Greater Washington's 32nd largest government technology contractor, according to Washington Business Journal research, and as one of the most diverse firms in Greater Washington when it comes to the racial makeup of its workforce. Roughly half of its 1,000-plus employees are based in this region.
"As the DOD undergoes a comprehensive digital transformation, impacting all facets of its operations, from the Pentagon to the frontline, Iron Bow stands poised to support and enhance warfighter readiness," Watson said.
