August 2, 2024

QUICK HITS

• SDVOSB self-certification update: There won’t be any options for it by December 2024.

• Access to shared SCIF facilities may boost small biz participation: A WeWork model could increase participation in defense contracting.

• White House says agencies have hired 200 AI experts so far: The effort stems from a governmentwide ‘talent surge.’

• East-West prisoner exchange brings home former Marine, journalist: Convicted Russian hackers were also returned.

GOVBREW INSIDER

• Check out this week’s 85+ opportunities from defense, civilian, and intel agencies.

• Our team uncovered 70+ upcoming Research & Development (R&D) Services opportunities in this week's recompete report.

• See if your company qualifies for any of the latest grants & competitions.

• Stay up to date on the upcoming events.

• Keep track of the latest Agency Acquisition Forecasts.

Become a GovBrew Insider member. Join here

DEFENSE & AEROSPACE

SASC renews interest in years-long battle between DOD & Ligado.

The SASC has ordered Pentagon transparency in a years-old spectrum dispute with mobile communications provider Ligadol; it's demanding the DOD to detail what military systems have previously and currently operated in, or in those adjacent to, "the 1525-1559 MHz and the 1626.5-1660.5 MHz" radio frequency bands. Legado has sued the government because DOD and DOC “improperly seized” their frequency without payment. Read more

CYBERCOM’s new AI task force at work within “elite” Cyber National Mission Force.

The head of US Cyber Command revealed recently that the command’s brand new AI task force is at work within the “elite” Cyber National Mission Force, saying he “has that team of expertise as a tool that when she’s got a hard problem, she can use that task force as one of the solutions.” Read more

The US military loves physical fitness, but it's too slow in optimizing human performance.

The military needs to make human-performance optimization part of daily ops, says the Deputy Director of the Center for a New American Security. Now, Congress is about to pass new legislation prodding the Pentagon to get its act together. One provision calls for a pilot program using sleep-tracking technology, while another provision would add creatine to MREs. Read more

ICYMI:

• USAF's Integrated Capabilities office studying adversary kill chains.

• US to expand munitions co-production opportunities with Japan.

• DOD “exploring” options for nuclear buildup.

• USAF lauches Integrating Risk and Readiness campaign.

• Australia commits to longevity of its Collin-class submarines, pledges ~$1.44B.

• Watch: What’s standing in the way of 5G & how to overcome it.

Defense Contract Awards

• Raytheon awarded $2.1B contract for Army LTAMDS production.

• 67 contractors selected for $1B USAF Rapid Sustainment deal.

• CACI was awarded a $450M SPACECOM Navigation Warfare Center Support deal.

• SES Space & Defense won a $46.8M USAF AAC Managed Satellite Services contract.

Follow the Defense Leaders

• Boeing has a new President & CEO.

• Former Tech Integration SVIP tapped to be Leidos’ CAIO.

• Slingshot Aerospace welcomed a new CDAIO.

• An ARCG Battalion Commander was selected to be USARC’s CIO.

Defense Job Openings

• OSD needs a Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense.

• NAVSEA is seeking a Program Manager.

• DCMA is looking for a Contract Management Deputy.

• Army Aviation and Missile Command is hiring a Program Manager.

TRIVIA 🤔

Just click the choice you think is right & the correct answer will be shown. Scroll down to the bottom of this email for more information about the correct answer.

INTEL COMMUNITY

NSA, CISA want to boost US leadership in global tech standards development.

The NSA and the CISA have released the ‘Enduring Security Framework’ to strengthen U.S. leadership in developing international standards that may impact the technology sector’s security. Read more

More than 7,000 NSA analysts are using Gen-AI tools.

These “piloted capabilities” are being used for “intelligence, cybersecurity, and business workflows.” Intelligence agencies using artificial intelligence isn’t new, but the community has been more open with testing the technology in everyday work. DHS’s intelligence shop has been experimenting with cloud-based AI tools for analysts and the CIA has been building its own ChatGPT-like tool while grappling with troves of data. Read more

ICYMI:

• RFP: Coast Guard is looking for a standalone dispatch system. (Total small business set aside).

• RFP: NAVAIR releases intel, surveillance, recon, targeting follow-on.

• Former NSA director Nakasone joins cyber VC fund.

• CACI secures $319M US Army intelligence systems task order.

• ODNI needs an NCSC Chief of Staff.

CIVILIAN

AI effort to improve contractor performance ratings stalls.

Agencies are in a rush to spend more than $200 billion on acquisition programs over the last quarter of fiscal 2024. Despite the fact that 40-60% of all fed procurement spending happens in the federal 4th quarter, Bloomberg Government also is projecting a drop in overall spending this year. What’s the holdup? For starters, revamping the process for contractor ratings is grounded at the worst and crawling forward at best. As a result, contractor performance ratings remain stuck. Read more

NARA eyes automation to keep digital records management fresh.

NARA is confronting how to meet its records management obligations amid an ever-expanding deluge of emails, chat messages, text files, and other digital records. “We’re not going to save everything everywhere. So, how are we going to figure out what we want to manage going forward? We are looking for solutions that are practical, that depend on the type of records that are being created.” Read more

Education's new loan servicing system "lacks transparency."

Dept of Ed has been working for nearly a decade to overhaul student loan servicing and simplify processes for tens of millions of borrowers with federal student loans, but several lawmakers believe "this new system lacks transparency." The senators are concerned that borrowers won’t necessarily know what servicers are behind any issues they encounter in Education’s future state. Read more

ICYMI:

• RFP: FDIC seeks enterprise architecture, strategic planning, cloud cost management, and business analysis services.

• RFI: USDA is seeking an Integrated Acquisition System (IAS).

• FedRAMP wants to hear your thoughts on newly proposed performance metrics.

• DOC may grant Amkor Technology $400M+ in direct funding under CHIPS and Science Act.

• NIST releases guidebook for cloud computing forensic readiness.

Civilian Contracts Awards

• USPTO awards CGI Federal $20M for Momentum financial system operations & maintenance.

• FAA awards E Corp $10M airport traffic control tower task.

• FCN, Inc granted $3M task by DEA for IT and telecom storage product services.

Follow Civilian Leaders

• CISA selects former professor to be its Acting Deputy Assistant Director.

• Myriddian selected a new CISO.

• Skillstorm has a new Federal ERP Practice SVP.

• Military officer tapped to be REI System’s COO.

Civilian Job Openings

• AmeriCorps is seeking a Deputy Chief of Staff.

• HUD wants a Deputy Assistant CFO.

• DOL is hiring an Associate Deputy CFO.

• EPA needs a Program Manager.

VIDEO

M&A CORNER

TransDigm wraps up acquisition of Raptor Scientific.

TransDigm Group has finalized its acquisition of Raptor Scientific for approximately $655M in cash. The acquired company has approximately 170 employees and several manufacturing sites across the United States. Read more

SHOWER THOUGHTS 🚿

An AI and HDMI radiation combo can give you a hacking K.O.

It seems the digital landscape has evolved. Wireless info-stealing is now possible, and you need more than an antivirus software to protect your devices. Researchers discovered a scary new hacking technique that can be done by intercepting wireless electromagnetic radiation and interpreting the video by using AI. Is there a way to protect our data from these criminals with sophisticated techniques? Read more

2024 Olympics and Paralympics: USAF members are also athletes!

The Olympic Games have started! Ten USAF service members will represent the United States at this year’s Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris. Who are these athletes and what positions do they hold in the military? Read more

Do you know about how during WW2 the British tricked German POWs into sharing info by treating them to lavish hospitality?

During World War II, the British used Trent Park, a mansion in North London, as a POW camp for high-ranking German officers. They provided lavish hospitality, including gourmet meals and comfortable living conditions, to make the prisoners feel at ease and off guard. Unbeknownst to the officers, the British had bugged the mansion, allowing them to gather valuable intelligence from the prisoners' unguarded conversations. Read more

GROW WITH GOVBREW

Whenever you’re ready, here’s how we can help you:

1. Are you serious about finding the next opportunity? Become a GovBrew Insider member to keep your pipeline full. Weekly opportunities, recompete reports, agency forecasts, and much more. Learn more

2. Promote your brand to over 7,000 GovCon professionals by sponsoring this newsletter. Apply here

3. Follow us on LinkedIn for more GovCon coverage.

Share GovBrew, Win Cool Stuff!

Have colleagues who'd like our newsletter too? Click to share or give them your unique referral link (below) and get rewarded when they subscribe.

Or copy and paste this link to others: https://govbrew.co/subscribe?ref=PLACEHOLDER

PS: You have referred 0 people so far

TRIVIA ANSWER ⭐️

The Civil War — During the Civil War, an estimated 194,000 Union soldiers and 214,000 Confederate soldiers became prisoners of war, more than in any other conflict in the history of the country. Approximately 30,000 Union soldiers died in Confederate prisons while the death rate was almost as bad in the North with approximately 26,000 Confederate soldiers dying in Union prisoner of war camps. (Source)

More than one-half million Americans have been captured and interned as Prisoners of War since the American Revolution.