# Army Upholds White Sands Missile Range Contract

The U.S. Army's award of a **$449 million** mission services contract to Southwest Range Services LLC for operations at White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, has been upheld by the U.S. Court of Federal Claims. A rival bidder, Trax International Corp., challenged the Army's technical evaluation citing alleged artificial intelligence errors, but the court found insufficient evidence to overturn the award. This ruling affirms the Army's evaluation process and allows Southwest Range Services to proceed with contract performance without delay.

- **Why this matters:** Procurement professionals should note the court's deference to the Army's technical evaluation methodology, including the use of AI tools, reinforcing confidence in current evaluation practices.
- The decision signals stability in large-scale mission services contracts at key military testing facilities, maintaining continuity for incumbent contractors.
- Companies interested in future Army range support contracts should consider the robustness of their technical proposals and be prepared for rigorous evaluation standards.
- Legal challenges based on AI evaluation errors face high evidentiary thresholds, indicating that procurement disputes will likely focus on substantive technical merits rather than procedural AI concerns.

**Jurisdictions:** federal
**Industries:** Defense & Military
**Topics:** Contracting Vehicles, Artificial Intelligence
**Published:** September 23, 2026

### Government Entities
- U.S. Army (Army)
- U.S. Court of Federal Claims

### Vendors
- Southwest Range Services LLC (awardee)
- Trax International Corp. (challenger)

### Sources
- [AI Claim From Rival Fails to Upend Army Missile Range Contract](https://news.bloomberglaw.com/federal-contracting/ai-claim-from-rival-fails-to-upend-army-missile-range-contract) - Bloomberg Law News