Good morning. We’re excited to welcome Chris Riddick as GovBrew’s new Director of Partnerships! 🎉 A longtime supporter and seasoned GovCon strategist, Chris brings a decade of experience (and a serious knack for connecting people). Big things ahead—read the full announcement here.
QUICK HITS
SBA unveils new search system: The new Small Business Search system (SBS) will streamline small business discovery for federal contracts.
Government Contracting Trends and Performance Index: The 1stBaroni Center report analyzes trends from 200,000 firms working with the fed gov’t.
SBA launches sweeping audit of 8(a) program: SBA aims to address fraud and restore integrity in small business contracting.
DIU launches Digital OnRamp: It’s a generative AI tool that allows private biz to match technology and products to DOD opportunities.
GOVBREW INSIDER
Check out this week’s 110+ opportunities from defense, civilian, and intel agencies.
Our team uncovered 50+ upcoming IT service opportunities at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) 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.
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DEFENSE & AEROSPACE
Pentagon memo accelerates drone dominance by 2027.
SecDef’s new directive tears up red tape and fast-tracks drone acquisition, training, and deployment. Every squad is set to receive expendable UAS by 2026, with plans to outpace adversaries in small drone warfare by 2027.
Pentagon acquires strategic stake in rare earth supplier.
The DOD will invest $400 million in MP Materials, securing a 15% stake and exclusive rights to magnet output from a new facility through 2038. The move aims to reduce U.S. dependence on China, which supplies 70% of rare earth imports, and establish a vertically integrated domestic supply chain.
Air Force and Space Force seek $16B for readiness boost.
The Air Force and Space Force just dropped a $16B unfunded priorities list—because apparently “budget request” is just a suggestion. Highlights include $4.15B for munitions, $1.98B for aircraft readiness, and nearly $6B for Space Force satellite and classified programs.
ICYMI:
Army RFI: Aviation and Missile R&D BAA.
Navy RFP: IDIQ for Large Waterfront Projects Architect & Engineer Services in Support of Projects Primarily in the NAVFAC Mid-Atlantic North AOR.
USAF is eyeing B-1B bomber upgrades for hypersonic strike capabilities.
DARPA’s COFFEE project prepares real-world tests to boost spectrum sharing.
Defense Contract Awards
Kongsberg won a $47M Logistics Support, Engineering Services, and Prototype Hardware and Software Development contract.
KaiHonua inked a $13M $14M US Army ATS/ITS Services task.
Chenega’s subsidiary booked a $5M Army IgnitED Follow-On/TMASS IDIQ.
Textron secured a DARPA Runway-less Drone X-Plane deal.
Follow the Defense Leaders
L3Harris appointed a Golden Dome Strategy, Integration President.
Muon Space introduced its new executives.
Defense Job Openings
TRIVIA 🤔
In 1959, which U.S. government agency awarded a contract that led to the development of COBOL, one of the world’s first standardized programming languages for business use?
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
Space industry urges Congress not to axe the system that prevents satellite collisions.
Hundreds of U.S. space and satellite companies—including SpaceX and Amazon’s Kuiper—have urged Congress to halt proposed 85% cuts to NOAA’s Office of Space Commerce, warning that eliminating the TraCSS civilian space traffic coordination system would heighten collision risks and drive industry overseas.
ICYMI:
DOS RFI: Mexico City - Mapping Process for Agricultural Imports.
Book review: The Mission by Tim Weiner — about unmasking the CIA.
DHS intelligence office pauses staff cuts amid stakeholder pressure.
The CTO of the CIA has stepped down.
CIVILIAN
Senate defends NASA science from deep cuts.
Senators rejected POTUS’s proposal to slash NASA’s science budget by 47%, preserving $7.3B for missions like Juno, New Horizons, and OSIRIS-APEX. The bipartisan bill also protects Artemis, SLS, and Orion from early retirement.
Interior proposes rule to expand commingled oil production.
The DOI wants to ease restrictions on onshore commingled production, allowing operators to blend output from leases with different ownership and royalty terms. The move could save the industry up to $1.8B annually, reduce surface disturbance, and bring 1970s-era rules into the 2025 tech landscape.
Senate blocks GAO budget cut to preserve watchdog oversight.
The Senate Appropriations Committee rejected a House plan to slash GAO’s budget by nearly 50%, preserving its $812M funding for FY 2026. Comptroller General Dodaro warned the cuts would gut 63% of GAO’s workforce and cripple congressional investigations.
ICYMI:
SSA RFP: Security Automated Features Enhancement (SAFE) Platform.
VA RFI: Zero Trust Application Realtime Protection (ZARP).
Pentagon seeks sensors to aid regenerative medicine.
VA modernization bill reintroduced to explore blockchain solutions.
Civilian Contracts Awards
Follow Civilian Leaders
OPM has a new Director.
EY appointed a new Principal and Data/AI Strategy Leader.
Civilian Job Openings
FEMA wants a Contract Specialist.
The District of Columbia Courts needs a Director.
GET SEEN
Elevate your brand and expand your reach with GovBrew, the industry’s most reliable source for GovCon pros. Reach top figures and decision-makers across the government contracting industry. When you advertise with GovBrew, you can really make an impact. Get started here.
M&A CORNER
Workday launches government unit to modernize HR systems.
Workday is going all-in on federal HR reform with a new subsidiary tailored to government needs. The company claims agencies could save $1B in productivity by ditching legacy systems—and yes, they’re ready to help. Lynn Martin will lead the charge.
SHOWER THOUGHTS 🚿
Japan installs ocean-based earthquake detection network. Wiring the offshore fault zone lets scientists continuously detect subtle signals revealing how stress builds and releases during earthquakes. SOURCE↗︎
AI voice scammer impersonates Marco Rubio to target officials. Senior leaders were deceived. It’s fueling concerns over rising impersonation threats in global politics. SOURCE↗︎
Denmark proposes copyright protections against AI-generated deepfakes. Maybe we should make a move too. SOURCE↗︎
GROW WITH GOVBREW
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TRIVIA ANSWER ⭐️
B. Department of Defense — A pivotal meeting took place at the Pentagon on May 28–29, 1959, when the DOD convened what became the Committee on Data Systems Languages (CODASYL) to standardize a business-oriented programming language—leading directly to the creation of COBOL. (Source)
