• OMB wants SDBs to get a bigger piece of the federal contracting pie: New guidance from the WH urges federal agencies to send more money to small disadvantaged businesses in 2023. Read More.
• CIA, NSA museums offer sneak peek into spy secrets: The CIA and NSA have renovated their museums of spycraft, displaying dramatic stories of spies and informants. Read More.

• TMF invests more than $20.8M+ in 3 agencies’ cyber and CX projects: OPM.gov will be improved, HUD was awarded funds for IT modernization, and the Army got funds to develop the SOCaaS framework. Read more

• 2022 Climate Adaption Plan: DOD Progress Report just dropped. There’s a lot of “in progress” notations throughout it, plus a fun org chart you can rip off, I mean “learn from” when you draft proposals. Read more.

DEFENSE & AEROSPACE

ICYMI Snippets

• The Space Force is feeling out the future market for space surveillance data.
• DOD counting on the defense industry base to keep up with evolving warfare.
• Navy deploys its most advanced aircraft carrier after years of delay.
• Army’s new Google Workspace for soldiers goes live.
• Army’s $22B “mixed reality” combat goggles to be delivered next year.
• Coming soon: FMS-ACES RFI due to drop late Oct 2022. Industry day mid-Nov.

Defense Contract Awards

• Esri awarded $16M contract supporting the Defense Intelligence Enterprise.
• Cynnovative, LLC awarded $14M contract for research project under the SMOKE program.
• SOSi wins $385M DISA, AF Mission Partner Environment Network Engineering Services contract.
• Washington Business Dynamics awarded $67M BPA under GSA for DHA’s Military Health System.

Follow the Defense Leaders

• Sierra Space hires former SpaceX exec as Senior VP and new CIO.
• IOMAXIS taps defense industry veteran as new COO.
• 30-year cyber leader joins Army as Deputy Assistant Secretary
• National Defense University brings on its new CISO.
• Longtime Army director takes control as Deputy Commanding General of Army Futures Command.

Defense Job Openings

• NASA is looking for an HR Specialist to lead its Labor Relations Program.
• Navy is seeking a Technical/Deputy Director for US Fleet Forces Command.

INTEL COMMUNITY

Hackers make off with sensitive data after attacking defense organization.

Threat actors infiltrated a defense industrial base organization, penetrated its network, and stole sensitive information, say federal agencies. CISA responded to malicious activities between November 2021 and January 2022. The organization that came under attack – likely a defense contractor – hasn’t been named. Read more

ODNI releases intelligence community annual demographic report.

The report highlights key metrics and trends regarding the hiring and retention of minorities, women, and persons with disabilities in the IC. It also identifies the IC’s continued efforts to drive workforce diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility, while also addressing areas of improvement. Read more

The IC is using a more integrated approach to AI to transform tradecraft.

The IC is applying AI/ML to boost efficiency and effectiveness across its mission areas. NGA recently set up a digital, data and innovation directorate to take a greater role in managing and sharing developments in AI across the IC and DOD to enhance interoperability. The IC sees enormous potential to apply AI/ML tech broadly to the complicated challenges of national security, but it’s still in the early stages of that process. Read more

ICYMI Snippets

• Get CISA cyber help every Monday and Tuesday all October long.
• NSA’s Hot Topics in the Science of Security Symposium accepting papers until Dec. 18.
• Kick off Cybersecurity Awareness Month with this Security Evangelist’s APT alert.
• NRO partners with commercial space firms on signal detection tech.

IC Contract Awards

• State Department awards Verizon $1.58B IT modernization contract.
• Ball Aerospace wins $176M contract to build and operate satellites for SDA.
• Barbaricum secures AFRL multi-INT analysis CRADA.
• ManTech wins $115M Marine Corps intelligence systems contract.

Follow IC Leaders

IC Job Openings

AI Spend by US Federal Government

This research was performed by Brookings, and all the data they used was consolidated and provided by Leadership Connect. They did a deep dive into all federal contracts over the last five years that had the term “artificial intelligence” (or “AI”) in the contract description.

NAICS 54 has dominated AI federal contract spending. However, this isn’t surprising since the US Government is one of the largest sources of external funding for research and development, the core service for NAICS 54.

The findings appear to suggest that the artificial intelligence market in the US is more focused on the development of research rather than a more mature market that would be more focused on hardware and software devices. Let’s take a closer look at some of the numbers…

• $1 billion in AI expenditures for NAICS 54 (474 awards) 💰
• $7m in AI expenditures for NAICS 33 (16 awards) 😕
• 53% of NAICS 54 contracts with DoD 🚀
• 17% of NAICS 54 contracts with HHS 🏥
• 17% of NAICS 54 contracts with NASA 🔭
• 4% of NAICS 54 contracts with VA 🎖
• 4% of NAICS 54 contracts with Commerce 🏦

If you’re interested in reading more, check out the full article ==> here <== 

CIVILIAN

Census Bureau moving past surveys with cloud-based data ecosystem (a RFI).

The Census Bureau wants to meet growing demands for its data with more cloud migration, according to an RFI. Dubbed the Census Acceleration to Secure Cloud (CASC), the IT modernization approach is in the early stages of understanding the industry’s state and its offerings and planning procurements for small businesses and full and open competition. Read more

Protest over $1.5B CATTS contract goes to court.

GAO dismissed many protests over the award of the CATTS small business contract vehicle. Following that dismissal, four companies took their challenges to the Court of Federal Claims. Read more

ICYMI Snippets

• SSA Small Business Industry Day extends registration until tomorrow.
• VHA Innovation Experience 2022 registration is live.
• OPM launched a Chief Diversity Officers Executive Council.

Civilian Contracts Awards

• Maveris awarded $71M, 5-year Periodic Assessment of Risk Support VA contract.
• INADEV wins $33M prime HHS contract to digitize payroll processing.
• NIH selects ICF for recompete digital services TO.
• ServiceNow snags HHS enterprise-wide contract​ supporting critical applications.

Follow Civilian Leaders

Civilian Job Openings

• SSA is seeking a Deputy Associate Commissioner for Financial Policy and Operations.
• DOI is looking for a Chief Information Security Officer.

M&A CORNER

Accenture acquires Stellantis’s World Class Manufacturing Training & Consulting. 

The acquisition allows Accenture to integrate the World Class Manufacturing (WCM) methodology in its solutions that help clients transform their manufacturing process and supply chain networks to be more efficient, sustainable, and resilient. Additionally, it brings WCM’s training solutions for increasing the manufacturing skills of client teams and building a culture of continuous improvement at plants.  Read more

Deltek buys TIP Technologies. 
Deltek has wrapped up its acquisition of TIP Technologies in a transaction that will integrate quality management system and manufacturing execution system offerings into the software provider’s portfolio of enterprise resource planning and manufacturing platforms for the GovCon industry.  Read more

ICYMI: 

• SandboxAQ announces Qunnect investment. Read more
• IT integrator TD Synnex launches combined public sector business. Read more
• Pyramid Analytics formalizes US federal business practice. Read more