October 27, 2023

WH EO increases up small biz goals, RTX sells cybersecurity intel biz, CBP IT RFI, AFCAP V vehicle increases cap to 15B, FOIA.gov new search tool

QUICK HITS

  • 4 things to look for in a GenAI bidding intelligence suite: BD, capture, and proposal folks take note of these key signs!

  • FOIA.gov has a new tool to search for public documents: The new tool is powered by a combo of machine learning and logic.

  • Grab new market insights at the AFCEA DC luncheon: Hear from defense and intelligence leaders and their industry partners.

  • OMB is looking for comments on new FedRAMP guidance: Check out the policy changes | Check out the comment request/rules.

TRIVIA

DEFENSE & AEROSPACE

Arms demand is booming, so why is weapons production lagging?

As demand for arms booms, a lack of modernization is stymying weapons production, and some small firms at the heart of the defense industry are having trouble seeing the upsides of automation and digitization. Small firms are operating on old systems, and the sheer number of small businesses is shrinking, too. Read more

The first manned electric aircraft has been delivered to USAF.

BETA Technologies has delivered the aircraft to the Air Force whose founder and CEO said, “The involvement of the military massively augments our velocity on the commercial side because the military's expectation of an airplane is fundamentally the same as the FAA’s. They want a safe, reliable, repeatedly produced aircraft." Read more

SDA gets greenlight for limited testing of data satellites.

The SDA can officially begin testing Link-16 signals in low Earth orbit, having just received approval from a key international regulatory body — although the agency remains caught up in a long-running DOD spat with the FAA. Read more

ICYMI:

Defense Contract Awards

Follow the Defense Leaders

Defense Job Openings

INTEL COMMUNITY

"Catastrophic motor failure" of rocket caused Gaza hospital blast, say intel officials.

U.S. intelligence officials are saying that a "catastrophic motor failure" of a rocket launched by Palestinian militants caused a massive hospital blast at Gaza's Al-Ahli hospital last week. The story is interesting for the resources that intel used to develop their conclusions. Read more

New Army intel doctrine to pave the way for a quantum future.

The Army has updated its intelligence doctrine to outline steps to modernize its intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities, as well as develop deep-sensing technology like quantum computing. Read more

ICYMI:

CIVILIAN

WH looks to ramp up spending with small disadvantaged businesses.

The federal government is aiming to award 13% of its contract spending to small disadvantaged businesses in FY24, the OMB has directed. The goal is to ultimately award 15% of procurement dollars to small biz by FY25. The EO also directed the SBA to annually set up agency-specific goals with other departments in furtherance of the governmentwide targets for small disadvantaged businesses. Read more

VA, AFGE support bill that refines how poor performers are fired.

The VA has stated that it supports elements of a bill that would refine its process for firing employees accused of misconduct or poor performance. VA’s top human resources official told lawmakers that the department endorses core elements of the new legislature. Read more

DOJ IG says FBI’s new HQ plan not influenced by former administration.

An inspector general report four years in the making found that FBI officials nixed a plan to move its headquarters to suburban Washington, D.C., for actual, legitimate reasons, which included a budget shortfall for the expensive move, infrastructure concerns, lack of mass transit, among other reasons. Read more

ICYMI:

Civilian Contracts Awards

  • GDIT awarded $450M CMMS financial systems modernization contract.

  • Accenture snags $486M State Department contract for integrated logistics mgmt system.

  • Iron Mountain secures $150M DOJ records & info management services BPA.

  • OBAN Corporation awarded $63M FDA HR support services IDIQ.

Follow Civilian Leaders

Civilian Job Openings

M&A CORNER

RTX is selling its cybersecurity intelligence business for $1.3B.

An “unnamed buyer” is taking it on. (Oooh is it Elon Musk???) The sale of the Cybersecurity, Intelligence and Services division was disclosed in the company’s third-quarter results for 2023, when sales totaled $13.5 billion, a decline of 21% from the the same period a year earlier. Reuters on Oct. 24 named the prospective buyer as private-equity firm Blackstone. (Aw, shucks!) C4ISRNET could not independently verify the matter, and an RTX spokesperson declined to share additional information. Read more

CAE agrees to sell health care business to Madison Industries.

CAE has agreed to sell its health care business unit to Madison Industries for approximately $226.3M as the Canadian aerospace and defense company seeks to focus on its core training and simulation markets. Read more

SHOWER THOUGHTS 🚿

Is expanded plasma gasification the gold mine the government's been sitting on?

Plasma gasification guarantees energy security, cost savings, and environmental protection, all while maintaining readiness for uncertain conflicts. But does it have a long-term future in the eyes of industry and federal leaders? Read more

Why is Palantir (Peter Thiel’s US spy-tech firm) in line for £480M?

Peter Thiel’s spy-tech firm is the frontrunner for the UK’s National Health Systems's biggest ever contract, despite warnings from multiple data privacy campaigners. Here’s a fun fact: Thiel took the name for the company from the mystical “seeing stones” in Tolkein’s Lord of the Rings trilogy, in which the orbs are known for their potential to corrupt. Yikes, that doesn’t bode well. Read more

Are the feds ready for FIDO?

FIDO relies on a physical token attached to a device or “platform authenticators” that are embedded into laptops or mobile devices -- but are federal agencies and their security leaders ready to adopt it to enhance cybersecurity posture? Read more

TRIVIA ANSWER: A - A post office worker

10 USC, Subtitle A, Part II, Chapter 45, Sections 771 and 772 specify that only USPS letter carriers may wear the official uniform. It is illegal to wear one for a Halloween costume. A 1970 court case, Schact v. United States, carved out an exemption for “theatrical purposes.” Congress, operating on a slight lag, in 1990 changed Section 772 of the statute law to reflect the Court’s decision. There remains no Halloween costume exemption, so anyone dressing as Newman from “Seinfeld” does so at their own risk. (Source)

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