May 3, 2024

QUICK HITS

• GovCon reading list 2024: Is government contracting difficult? Get up to speed on the latest rules, regulations, and hot tips.

• Watch: Here’s the future of AI in gov't services. One chief data scientist shares the biggest changes he's seen when integrating AI.

• What the Goldilocks effect means for midsized govcons: There are lots of opportunities, but they get squeezed until they go bust.

• SBA Annual Scorecard: $178B spent with small businesses! Overall goal hit with some goals missed.

TRIVIA 🤔

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

DEFENSE & AEROSPACE

China is breaking up the US 'monopoly' on long-range targeting.

The US military has long held a key advantage over China's. But that “monopoly is over.” Space Force’s intel chief said that China is building a massive architecture of remote-sensing satellites to help target US forces if they move to defend Taiwan in a conflict. Read more

Putting the J in CJADC2: services collaborating more closely.

Military services are collaborating more closely to make the DOD’s Combined Joint All Domain Command and Control (CJADC2) a reality — with a bit of pushing from above in the DOD food chain. Currently, different military branches are pursuing their own CJADC2 initiatives, each prioritizing their own connectivity needs. There’s not enough “jointness” going on. Read more

For talent management, DOD has '“a lot of things that [they] face as challenges."

DOD is looking outside traditional bureaucratic structures to develop talent management concepts that can hold steady into the future. "From a talent management standpoint, we have a lot of things that we face as challenges." Check out the list of "innovators that are in the last stages of the Talent Management DOD challenge. Read more

ICYMI:

• DOD wants a more competitive, robust defense industrial base.

• Good cyber hygiene keeps hackers—and crippling infrastructure crises—at bay.

• DARPA’s Manta Ray UUV can move undetected in the ocean. (Video)

• USAF plans to review SAIC’s protest for $457M Air Force IT Modernization award.

Defense Contract Awards

• SNC bags a $13B USAF Survivable Airborne Operations Center Aircraft Development contract.

• Northrop Grumman wins a $7B USAF B-2 modernization contract.

• QinetiQ wins a $41M Army C51SR contract.

• SOSi awarded a $19M Army Enterprise Service Agency contract.

Follow the Defense Leaders

• Booz Allen appoints two senior executive advisers for its global defense business.

• Former Jazz Solutions COO returns to BigBear.ai as SVP, federal growth and capture.

Defense Job Openings

• DNFSB is looking for a Nuclear Weapon Programs Associate Technical Director.

• Pacific Air Forces needs a Force Support Squadron Deputy Director.

• ONR wants a Division Director.

CHART

Defense agencies and DOD field activities. (Source)

INTEL COMMUNITY

As Pro-Russia hacktivists target OT devices, NSA & partners issue urgent warning.

Pro-Russia hacktivists are conducting malicious cyber activity against operational technology (OT) devices and critical infrastructure organizations are encouraged to implement mitigations, according to a Fact Sheet published by the NSA and its cybersecurity partners. Read more

DIA says US intel needs ‘professional cadre’ for OSINT.

Mmmm we love a good food analogy…The DIA's deputy director for Global Integration says that open source info used to be the "salt" sprinkled on top of completed intelligence products; now it's the secret intelligence that's become the salt on the "main course" that is open source intel. Yum. Read more

ICYMI:

• RFP: ODNI is offering: “Securing Our Underlying Resources in Cyber Environments (SoURCE CODE) Program.” New due date May 31.

• FBI has a new Cyber Division Chief.

• ODNI needs a Foreign Supply Chains Program Director.

• ODNI is seeking a Program Manager.

CIVILIAN

State unemployment agencies can now see Treasury's Do Not Pay system.

States are getting streamlined access to the Treasury Department's Do Not Pay system for unemployment. The Do Not Pay system is a no-cost service for government agencies to verify claim eligibility before issuing loans, benefits, vendor and grant payments. It’s meant to prevent fraud and improper payments. Read more

The major USAID contractor that was hacked in 2021 won't comment on what actually happened.

Chemonics, an international development firm that has described USAID as its “primary client" suffered a hack that impacted its employees in 2021. Three years later, neither the company nor the agency is commenting on what happened. All we know from a consumer data breach notice filed with the Maine AG’s office, the attack was described as an “external system breach” and “hacking” that impacted more than 6,000 people. Read more

The IRS is extending its remote work pilot program.

The IRS had originally planned to end the pilot on June 15 but is now extending the program through Jan. 25, 2025. The agency hopes that the extension will give the agency additional time to collect and analyze data to evaluate the impact of remote work and to guide future decisions. Read more

ICYMI:

• RFP: NRC is looking for a consultant to help with “Examining Transformations of Cybersecurity States.” Proposals due May 21.

• RFI: Treasury IRS’s Enterprise Anomaly Detection Services.

• GAO: NASA’s spacecraft program lacks cybersecurity standards.

• NASA will collaborate with Florida Atlantic University to develop small satellites.

• OPM’s new competency models for HR positions redefine skills for 40K employees.

Civilian Contracts Awards

• DHA awards 11 companies positions on $43B recompete contract.

• T-Rex Solutions got a $52M ED CIO MCP Environment contract.

• Steampunk was awarded an $11M GSA MAS IT Application Development, Enhancement, and Maintenance contract.

• BAE to build air quality instrument for NOAA’s GeoXO Constellation.

Follow Civilian Leaders

• SAIC has a new Business Development Director.

• Capgemini has appointed a new CEO.

• Former SAIC DHS Programs VP selected to be IEM’s CGO.

• HighPoint President was promoted to CEO.

• The Chertoff Group welcomed a new Federal Strategy Senior Director.

Civilian Job Openings

• DHS is looking for a Crimes Exploitation Director.

• Office of the Secretary for Transportation needs a Volpe Center Director.

M&A CORNER

Rocket Software buys OpenText’s app modernization business for $2.3B.

Rocket Software, a portfolio company of Bain Capital Private Equity, has closed its acquisition of OpenText’s application modernization and connectivity business for approximately $2.3 billion. It expects the transaction to increase its revenue by 60 percent and broaden its client base to over 12,500 companies worldwide. Read more

GOVBREW INSIDER

• Check out this week’s 60 opportunities from defense, civilian, and intel agencies.

• Our team uncovered 30+ upcoming IT services opportunities at Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) 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 Women Tech Leaders Summit. 

• Keep track of the latest Agency Acquisition Forecasts.

Want to become a GovBrew Insider member? Join here

SHOWER THOUGHTS 🚿

A powerful 6G device already exists. When can we use one?

Japanese companies developed the world’s first high-speed 6G wireless device capable of transmitting data at speeds up to 20 times faster than 5G, reaching 100 Gbps. Will consumers be able to use it soon? Read more

Cheap super-batteries made of salt? How powerful is it?

Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology researchers have created a high-performance, hybrid battery that charges quickly and provides a wow-worthy energy density. This groundbreaking prototype utilizes one of our favorite condiments—salt. Can this be used to power a car? An airplane, maybe? Read more

Is digital engineering the key to faster weapon production?

The Pentagon and its contractors can make the development of new weapons more efficient by using a cutting-edge digital engineering accelerator. It is said that this technology can significantly reduce the time needed to create usable prototypes. Let’s see how it works! Read more

TRIVIA ANSWER ⭐️

The March on the Pentagon — The number of attendees at each rally included:

• The March on the Pentagon in October 1967 protesting the Vietnam War had more than 100,000 attendees.

• The Bonus March of 1932 had 43,000 attendees.

• The march from Selma to Montgomery in 1965 started with 2,500 protestors and, by its end, had 25,000 participants.

• Approximately 10,000 attendees took part in The Women’s Suffrage Parade in 1913.

• The Boston Tea Party has 116 documented participants.

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. Learn more

2. Promote your brand to over 6,700 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