The FAA has opened bids for its ambitious effort to modernize the U.S. air traffic control system—which will reshape how flights are managed and will lead to greater reliability and fewer delays. One contender is Parsons Corp., which announced in June that it would team up with IBM to pursue the integrator role. Parsons has supported the FAA for nearly 50 years and has experience in airport infrastructure and systems modernization, while IBM would add data and integration expertise.