March 15, 2024

QUICK HITS

• 2024 Security Clearance Compensation Report: 67% of individuals reported an uptick in their base pay. More data points below. ↓

• Advancement of lunar science and exploration innovation: NASA awards DALI grants to scientists & engineers.

• SBA OIG sounds alarm bell on self-certified Small Disadvantaged businesses: $16B in prime contracts awarded to unregulated small biz.

• FAR Part 16: Learn about the different “Types of Contracts” in Wednesday’s webinar.

TRIVIA 🤔

Presented by rTurner Consulting - Innovative GovCon Growth Solutions.

Just click the choice you think is right & the correct answer will be shown.

DEFENSE & AEROSPACE

The right software can dictate a battle’s outcome — is the Pentagon changing fast enough to keep up?

Today’s battles happen at the pace of software, and experts are telling lawmakers where the bottlenecks are; they’re also urging the Pentagon to put its foot on the gas pedal to keep up with the rapidly changing pace of software. One culprit to the holdup: the authority-to-operate (ATO) process. Read more

"Wheres my AI?", asks Pentagon CIO cybersec chief to industry.

“I love AI. I want lots of AI,” said the Pentagon's CIO cybersecurity chief. "But, so far, neither government nor industry has developed artificial intelligence that can really help with cybersecurity." The absence of any tech is being felt in industry as well as gov’t. Read more

Air Force “more committed” to hypersonic cruise missile testing.

Last year, USAF's secretary said the Air Force was “more committed” to the Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missile than the service’s other fast-flying design, the Air-Launched Rapid Response Weapon. The service is now looking to move ahead with flight testing for its new hypersonic cruise missile in FY25. Read more

ICYMI:

• Chatbots and robot super pilots? DARPA is funding research on it.

• Rocket Cargo is go! USAF's experimental resupply program nears launch pad. Check out P2PD, the prototype psydonym.

• Army watercraft have departed for Gaza to deliver humanitarian aid. Read about the temporary piers and floating causeways.

• “Hurry up with hypersonic defenses!” NORTHCOM says.

• Space Force wants $248M to kickstart new jam-proof SATCOM constellation.

Defense Contract Awards

• Army awards 5 spots on $2.4B unrestricted vertical construction support MATOC.

• Lexicon, Lukos secure work on $610M Army mission support services award.

• A $15M U.S. Space Force contract was awarded to Defense Unicorn to update IT systems and software applications.

• Leidos wins $158M USAF Command and Control Incident Mgmt Emergency Response Application (C2IMERA) II.

Follow the Defense Leaders

• Pentagon taps its new Chief Data & AI Officer.

• NASA recruits recent DOD DCSA Dept CIO to serve as Goddard Space Flight Center Deputy CIO.

• The former CEO of L3Harris will become the CEO of 3M this May.

• Foxhole Technology’s Senior Strategic Advisor was selected as CSO.

• The EVP of Two Six Technologies is now its CPO.

Defense Job Openings

• SECNAV needs a Range Readiness Director.

• AFRC is seeking an Executive Officer.

• USAF is hiring an Acquisition Program Manager.

• USAF Office of Chief of Space Operations is looking for a Force Development Director.

DATA POINT

Notable salary surge for cleared professionals amid economic challenges.

According to Clearance Jobs’ Security Clearance Compensation report, during a period characterized by rising inflation and fiscal ambiguities, firms have taken decisive measures by enacting considerable increases in salaries. The year 2023 saw candidates with security clearances experiencing a significant 6% rise in remuneration, elevating the average cleared salary to a peak of $114,946. Also, 57% of respondents say they have remote or hybrid work options when sickness or pandemic conditions aren’t in effect. Furthermore, those with that flexibility also make $15-20k more over the past three years than other survey respondents.

INTEL COMMUNITY

DOJ, FTC want to help businesses repair their products.

The DOJ and FTC have filed a comment with the US Copyright Office to support regulations that would advocate for consumers' and businesses' right to repair their products; the agencies commented that renewing and expanding repair-related exemptions would promote competition in markets for replacement parts, repair, and maintenance services. Read more

CIA allegedly made fake social media accounts to troll the Chinese government.

In 2019, the CIA allegedly launched a secret operation to troll Chinese officials and turn public opinion against them through leaked intelligence and negative news on social media. The fake accounts spread rumors, such as allegations that Communist Party members hid ill-gotten wealth outside the country, and criticize Chinese government initiatives, like saying a program financing infrastructure projects in other countries was corrupt. Read more

ICYMI:

• The DIA has published its FY25 consolidated procurement forecast.

• IARPA invites you to a Proposers' Day for the SOLSTICE program on April 9 in Washington DC.

• Be in two places at once and RSVP for NGA's upcoming small business event next month, also on April 9.

• Patriot Group International has appointed a new COO.

• An intelligence and defense veteran joined Tyto Athene as CEO.

CIVILIAN

CBP, TSA eye big hiring pushes under FY25 budget.

DHS' budget request for next year is forecasting some big hiring goals for CBP and TSA; the request shows CBP wants more personnel on the border, while TSA is seeking more officers to staff airports amid a resurgence of air travel. Read more

CISA rolls out secure software attestation form.

CISA released its long-awaited software development attestation form that requires federal contractors to detail minimum required security standards used in software that interacts with government systems. The form is meant to enforce secure-by-design principles that encourage software makers to blueprint products with strong, built-in baseline security features. Read more

UnitedHealth probed by HHS after ransomware attack.

HHS is probing Change Healthcare parent company UnitedHealth amid weeks of backlogs and clinical disruptions that resulted from a crippling ransomware attack late last month. The probe will examine the company's compliance with laws safeguarding patient data. Read more

ICYMI:

• NOAA Special Notice: Create a demo for a traffic coordination system for space.

• DOT Solicitation: SBIR FY24.2 phase I research topic.

• Here’s the “pilot project approach” of the DOS to the adoption of AI.

• FCC decides that 25Mbps and 3Mbps are not “broadband speed.”

• Stolen astronaut training devices? NASA is investigating it.

• Feds say AI deepfakes are targeting women and children.

Civilian Contracts Awards

• SeaTech Global Security and Parsons awarded work on $1B NNSA counter nuclear smuggling system contract.

• Socha awarded $60M USAID IDIQ for monitoring, evaluation, and strategic info.

• BrightPoint awarded $13M DOJ FBI information services task.

• DOS grants Mccolm & Company $4.3M contract to support and manage network consultants.

Follow Civilian Leaders

• Deputy CIO at Noblis chosen to succeed retiring VP.

• Palantir selected a NatSec tech innovation leader as its SVP.

Civilian Job Openings

• EPA needs a Program Manager.

• DHS Citizenship and Immigration Services is seeking a Chief of Staff.

• FAA is looking for a Program Manager.

• USDA OCIO is hiring a Supervisory IT Program Manager.

GOVBREW INSIDER

• Check out this week’s 100+ opportunities from defense, civilian, and intel agencies.

• Our team uncovered 50+ upcoming IT services opportunities at the Department of the Treasury 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.

Want to become a GovBrew Insider member? Join here

SHOWER THOUGHTS 🚿

Is the U.S. falling behind in the global tech race?

Other countries have boosted their investments in science and engineering talent development, next-generation research infrastructure, and technology vital to global economic competitiveness and national defense. How is the United States faring? Read more

How was quantum key distribution for cybersecurity achieved?

DOE's Oak Ridge National Laboratory researchers have demonstrated that cutting-edge quantum-based cybersecurity can be done inside a fiber link. How was quantum key distribution done by the team and how does it contribute to online security? Read more

Human-to-humanoid teleoperation—how useful is it?

A real-time human-to-humanoid teleoperation system has been created by researchers. It enables complete body control, signaling a future of seamless cooperation between people and robots. How much help can this machine provide humans? Read more

TRIVIA ANSWER ⭐️

B) Commemorative stamps about presidents — No stamps may feature a living person. Memorial stamps honoring U.S. presidents may be issued after they are deceased. Proposals for other deceased individuals may be considered three years following his/her death. (Source)

This rule caused a controversy when the USPS issued the “One Small Step for Man” 20th Anniversary stamp, featuring an image of two astronauts…while Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were still living. (Read more)

rTurner Consulting delivers GovCon growth solutions, accelerating your path to contract acquisition, maximizing B&P investments, and winning more contracts. Through a unique combination of expert business development, capture, and proposal teams supported by their AI-driven database applications, they develop targeted pipelines, build customer relationships, capture strategic deals, and write winning proposals for clients across the DOD and Civilian markets.

Want to submit a trivia question for the next edition? Reply to this email.

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.

2. Promote your brand to over 6,400 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