Post-War U.S. bayonet and scabbard production has posed significant challenges to researchers. Limited federal contract data has left many gaps and, at times, has proven difficult to interpret accurately. As with any story that is pieced together over time, there have been advances, as well as errors, made along the way. My research builds on previous work by noted authors/researchers, Gary Cunningham, Bill Porter, and Frank Trzaska. Gary’s research can be found in his books; and the work of all three on Frank Trzaska’s great site, http://usmilitaryknives.com.
The following summarizes what appear to be the U.S. government contracts, building on what has already been published with additional research of my own. The information presented below shows the extent of OKC3S Bayonet procurement discerned from publicly-available data, adds new details, and clarifies some details previously reported elsewhere. There remains much to still be discovered and explained through further research. If you are aware of any additional contracts or have information to add, comments and clarification are welcome.
| OKC3S Bayonet Contracts Summary | ||||||
| Contract No. | Contractor | Date | Amount | Quantity | Contract Type | Notes |
| M67854-03-D-5036 | Ontario Knife Co. | 12/13/2002 | $214,150 | 5,000 | 3 Delivery Orders for OKC3S Bayonets | Indefinite Delivery Contract for OKC3S bayonets and spare parts. Contract details per NARA AAD and FPDS. Quantities per Homer Brett, Ontario OKC-3S Bayonet Description Letter. Delivery order amount of $214,150 may include additional deliverable(s), such as first article testing, final inspection gauges, or spare parts. |
| 4/9/2003 | $3,659,849 | 95,500 | ||||
| 9/25/2003 | $765,860 | 20,000 | ||||
| M67854-03-F-3140 | Ontario Knife Co. | not available | not available | not available | Delivery Order | OKC3S in sealed wrapper observed with contract number GS-07F-0296/M6785403F3140 and 04/05 packing date. Appears to be a Marine Corps contract bundled into a General Services Administration (GSA) multi-contract award. Not found in FPDS and USASpending.gov, although other GSA-bundled USMC contracts are observed. |
| SP0740-04-M-2033 | Ontario Knife Co. |
10/20/2003 | $61,438 | not available | Purchase Order | Contract details per FPDS. |
| SP0740-04-M-2267 | Ontario Knife Co. | 1/12/2004 | $59,009 | not available | Purchase Order | Contract details per FPDS. |
| SP0740-04-V-5938 | Ontario Knife Co. | 1/26/2004 | not available | not available | Purchase Order | Not in FPDS, so likely a small order <$25,000. |
| DAAE20-99-D-0135 | Ontario Knife Co. | 8/19/2004 | $138,508 | not available | 1 Delivery Order for OKC3S bayonets and spare parts. | Indefinite Delivery Contract for M9 bayonets, M9 spare parts, OKC3S bayonets, and OKC3S spare parts. Contract details per FPDS and USASpending.gov. Delivery Order likely included spare parts in addition to bayonets (see note below). |
| W52H09-06-D-0296 | Ontario Knife Co. | 9/20/2006 | $610,110 | 14,000 | 4 delivery orders for OKC3S Bayonets | Indefinite Delivery Contract for OKC3S bayonets and spare parts (see note below). Contract details per FPDS and USASpending.gov. Delivery order amount of $610,110 may also include spare parts. |
| 11/7/2006 | $118,740 | |||||
| 1/18/2007 | $360,385 | |||||
| 8/8/2008 | $136,563 | |||||
| SPM7LX-11-V-0099 | Ontario Knife Co. | 10/18/2010 | $96,732 | 1,200 | Purchase Order | Contract details per FPDS and USASpending.gov. Quantity per publicly-available procurement history. |
| SPM7L4-11-M-0189 | Ontario Knife Co. | 10/28/2010 | $7,961 | 100 | Purchase Order | Contract details per FPDS and USASpending.gov. Quantity per publicly-available procurement history. |
| W52H09-11-C-0009 | Ontario Knife Co. | 11/30/2010 | $572,310 | 9,000 | Definitive Contract | Contract details per FPDS. Quantity per solicitation announcement. |
| SPM7L1-11-V-2902 | Ontario Knife Co. | 12/18/2010 | $96,732 | 1,200 | Purchase Order | Contract details per FPDS and USASpending.gov. Quantity per publicly-available procurement history. Newspaper report of award for $48,366 (1/2 of contract amount) for bayonet knives, so there must also have been a 100% option that was subsequently exercised. |
| SPM7LX-12-D-0065 | Ontario Knife Co. | 6/13/2012 | $0 | 0 | No Delivery Orders Placed for OKC3S Bayonets | Indefinite Delivery / Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract for OKC3S bayonets and Combat Knives. However, no OKC3S bayonets appear to have been procured during 5-year contract term. Contract details per FPDS and USASpending.gov. |
Notes OKC3S "spare parts" may include replacement OKC3S bayonets without scabbards. |
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| Sources
NARA/AAD: Federal Procurement Data System (FPDS): Database accessed various dates February-March, 2023, https://www.fpds.gov USASpending.gov: Award Database, accessed various dates February-March, 2022, https://www.usaspending.gov/search |
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| © Ralph E. Cobb 2023 All Rights Reserved | ||||||
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