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- December 15, 2023
December 15, 2023
Top 3 Alliant2 contracts, IRS leadership changes, NGA GEOINT RFPs, FAA Space Data Integrator, new DOE office, Nokia buys Fenix
QUICK HITS
Contractors, industry leaders brace for budget shutdown: Here's how they're prepping as the current budget measure is set to expire.
How large language models get smarter: Learn how to produce and manage your LLMs more effectively and efficiently.
First post-award T4NG2 protest dismissed: Shot down with little fanfare, the protest is likely the first of many more to come.
GSA, FBI still at odds over HQ selection: Meanwhile, the House subcommittee says it smells 'a rat'.
TRIVIA
DEFENSE & AEROSPACE
Senate passes nearly $900B NDAA for fiscal ‘24.
With a strong majority vote, the National Defense Authorization Act for next year has sailed through the Senate with an 87 to 13 vote. The bill is now heading to the House, where it’s likely to face partisan headwinds but, if successful, will go on to POTUS’s desk for his signature. Read more
Pentagon says cooperation among allies in space is critical.
The Pentagon's top space policy official has stressed that cooperation among the US and its allies is critical as global competitors increasingly look to space as the next frontier of warfare, saying, "There is broad recognition that space capabilities are critical to overall military effectiveness." Read more
DOD's path toward AI adoption guided by trust, responsibility.
The Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Officer has launched a department-wide effort focused on understanding how the DOD can accelerate the adoption of generative AI to support the warfighter. A senior official has said the DOD's path toward adopting AI is guided by trust and responsibility. Read more
ICYMI:
One year in, Pentagon looks ahead to JWCC ‘2.0’.
Shortages of just a few parts are slowing deliveries of the F-35’s latest upgrade.
Space Force eyes new breed of satellites that adjust their orbit and respond to threats.
Protest: SAIC levels OCI claim in fight for $193M Army award.
Defense Contract Awards
Army extends BAE’s Holston ammunition plant operation with $8.8B contract.
Danbury Mission Technologies bags a $136M contract with the U.S. Army.
4 contractors to deliver interface test tech to USAF under $126M award.
Follow the Defense Leaders
Leadership changes at Boeing: former CSO is now Boeing’s new CEO; also, VP Global Sustainability Policy & Partnerships, appointed as CSO.
RTX CEO to step down in May.
Leidos’ board adds former DISA director.
Defense Job Openings
The Air Force is looking for a SWAC Director.
DOD is seeking an Executive Director, Resource Management Office.
USN seeks Senior Scientist - Undersea Warfare Survivability.
END OF YEAR RECAP…
Alliant 2
This week, we continue exploring the largest contracts awarded in 2023. The Alliant 2 GWAC cap increased to $75B in August 2022, ensuring continued support for IT modernization and innovation.
INTEL COMMUNITY
NGA eyeing ‘significant’ contracts for commercial GEOINT work.
NGA will soon ask industry to submit their proposals for GEOINT data services as it looks to take better advantage of commercial sector capabilities. Said Vice Adm. Whitworth: “The resulting contracts are called Luno and A, luno, alpha… The goal is to enable NGA to do two things: acquire commercial GEOINT object detections and leverage industry analytics and automation in areas of national security interest, of course.” Read more
ICYMI:
Declassified intel indicates severe Russian losses in two-year Ukraine War.
BAA call: Review the DIA MASINT call that just dropped.
RFI: IARPA posts biological systems analysis RFI.
Northrop lands $700M DIA contract for digital transformation.
Leidos secures $700M NSA tech development support contract.
First intelligence director named at Expeditionary Warfare Training Group Pacific.
ODNI needs a CTIIC Deputy Director.
The Office of the Secretary of Defense is seeking a Deputy Director for Defense Intelligence.
CIVILIAN
Avoiding galactic traffic jams: FAA may need help with the Space Data Integrator.
The FAA is developing an air traffic tool that's built for the space age, but it may need help to get it to its final conception. As the commercial space industry continues to grow, there’s increasing pressure on the FAA to ensure launches don’t impact commercial flight schedules. Read more
GSA at a ‘critical juncture’ to salvage faith in TTS.
GSA's IG has said his agency is at a 'critical juncture' to salvage faith in the Technology Transformation Services from its customers, Congress, and the taxpayer. The OIG listed “establishing and maintaining an effective internal control environment” within GSA more broadly as the first challenge in its annual assessment. Read more
DHS: Importance of tech “observability” growing by “leaps and bounds.”
The chief of the Distributed Services Branch at USCIS has said increasing visibility is helping USCIS mature its systems in the cloud, noting that, “Everything is kind of a work in progress, especially as technology changes and new processes come out." Read more
ICYMI:
OMB vetoed the Special Salary Rate for IT and cybersecurity employees, says DOE.
DOE unveils its new Office of Critical and Emerging Technology.
Agencies are making ‘notable’ progress on GAO’s IT recs.
Punting the workload: Energy AI and Tech Office’s work transferred to other agency subgroups.
Civilian Contracts Awards
U.S. Partnership for Assured Electronics selects Exiger as strategic partner.
GSA names Spatial Front for PBS OIT FME O&M, Ecodumus O&M and API Support Services.
Forest Service selects ICF for $78M Digital Modernization Task Order.
Follow Civilian Leaders
IRS leadership changes: Names C-suite leaders.
Former Director of Pricing is now Amyx’s Vice President of Finance.
20-year technology, cybersecurity executive joins Caveonix as CEO.
Inmarsat’s former Government director promoted to SVP of Program Management.
Civilian Job Openings
NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center seeks a Director for Safety and Mission Assurance.
NASA’s Ames Research Center needs a Deputy Director of Engineering.
HHS wants a Supervisory Management Analyst.
DOE seeks a Principal Deputy Director (agency-wide).
M&A CORNER
L3Harris discontinues its M&A program for “foreseeable future.”
L3Harris Technologies' chair and CEO has said the company plans to discontinue its merger and acquisition activity for the “foreseeable future” to strengthen its balance sheet and return capital to shareholders. Read more
Nokia agrees to acquire Fenix Group.
Nokia is eyeing its defense business growth with its recent purchase of Fenix Group, an Enlightenment Capital portfolio company, for an undisclosed sum as part of efforts to expand its portfolio of wireless offerings for defense customers. Fenix Group is a provider of innovative tactical communications products, including the Banshee product family. Read more
GOVBREW INSIDER
Check out this week’s 90+ opportunities from defense, civilian, and intel agencies.
Our team uncovered 35+ upcoming IT services opportunities at the Department of Energy (DOE) 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. Also, check out the GovBrew Insider discount on the upcoming GovCIO Defense IT Summit.
Keep track of the latest Agency Acquisition Forecasts.
Want to become a GovBrew Insider member? Join here
SHOWER THOUGHTS 🚿
What happens when authoritative sources use bad data?
A pernicious problem occurs when governments have bad data and do not - or cannot - retract it. In fact, there's often no correction or retraction mechanism, meaning that information known to be wrong remains on the books without any indication of its flaws. Read more
How does the military get the public to care about its armed forces?
The biggest challenge facing U.S. military recruiting is the American public’s lack of familiarity with its armed services, the Pentagon’s and services’ civilian personnel leaders say, with the assistant secretary of the Navy for manpower and reserve affairs stressing that “under 13 percent [of eligible recruits] have a parent that served” in one of the armed services. Read more
Just how dangerous is scanning a code from an unknown source?
QR codes are visual patterns that store data smartphones can read; a computer scientist talks about the widespread use of QR codes in a post-pandemic world, how they work, and what makes them dangerous. Read more
TRIVIA ANSWER:
A: The Apollo Project.
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