September 29, 2023

QUICK HITS

• Can you guess the top 10 states for defense spending in FY 22? And is it a surprise to you that CA, VA, and TX are the top three?

• 10 words of advice if you’re wading into the SBIR/STTR pool: You may not want to read them all if your feelings are hurt easily, though.

• Tackling the first email: How GovCon companies are breaking the ice with their employees about a potential government shutdown.

• Curious about the real rules regarding furloughs? Check out this OPM guidance document to read the rules from a primary source.

TRIVIA

DEFENSE & AEROSPACE

How a govt. shutdown would impact foreign defense aid, military pay, and weapons.

The Pentagon's top weapons buyer noted that China doesn't have to deal with the kind of budget chaos that is currently impacting the military, defense industry, and civilians. “We can teach them how to do that. That would be helpful,” he said. Read more

Pentagon standing up two "AI battle labs" at INDOPACOM, EUCOM.

The DIU and CDAO are standing up two “AI battle labs” at US Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM) and US European Command (EUCOM) in order to develop data analytics and AI capabilities with warfighters; the labs will establish government-wide “BRAVO Hackathons” over the next year. Read more

DOD working to ensure US industrial base can meet future demand for skilled workers.

"The industry over the next decade will require more than 4 million jobs to maintain sustainable throughput, and the current estimate says that if we cannot address the skills gap by 2030 we could be looking at over $1 trillion in [gross domestic product] impact," said the managing director of manufacturing technology for the Office of the Secretary of Defense. Read more

ICYMI Snippets

• Decision to slash procurement of F-15 EW kits caused a "significant" breach.

• RFP: Navy releases C4I TVE RFP.

• SpRCO "finalizing" plan to buy C2 software for maneuvering sats.

• Soldier returned to U.S. custody after crossing into North Korea.

• New milestone achieved in DARPA's Manty Ray program.

Defense Contract Awards

• BAE to supply Army MPE-M cards under $319M DISA contract.

• Palantir receives $250M Army contract for AI/ML R&D services.

• LMI to continue simulation & analysis toolkit development under $98M USAF contract.

• USSF awards $17M cybersecurity contract to Xage Security.

Follow the Defense Leaders

• Former HII division COO appointed Eqlipse SVP of integration & operations.

• Former Leidos senior program manager promoted to defense group VP.

• IT executive named VP, CIO of General Dynamics Bath Iron Works

• Former RADA Technologies CEO named ARA chief growth officer.

Defense Job Openings

• The Army is seeking a Supervisory Logistics Management Specialist.

• Army is also seeking a Supervisory Intelligence Specialist (Staff Management).

INTEL COMMUNITY

How top DHS acquisition leaders are transforming department acquisition processes.

The homeland security landscape has undergone momentous changes in recent years, and to keep up with evolving threats, the DHS is continuously working to deploy today’s most advanced technologies. Developing and implementing these tools requires collaborating with industry partners, and DHS acquisition officials are leading efforts to adopt new technologies while strengthening relationships with the private sector. Read more

ICYMI Snippets

• Special Notice: NATO seeks cyber threat intelligence solutions.

• RFP: DHS seeks support for $180M employee assistance, work-life support IDIQ.

• Deloitte beats out 5 to win $74M FBI STOR 193.

• MO Studio wins Bureau of Consular Affairs Support contract.

• 20-year IC veteran joins DigiFlight as intelligence SVP.

• DOJ criminal division seeking Deputy Chief Information Officer.

CIVILIAN

In VA's latest bungle, 56,000 dependent claims failed to process because of problems 12 years old.

In its latest publicized embarrassment, the VA failed to process 56,000 dependent claims due to major website issues from 2011. The issue was caused by VA.gov processing errors. A congressman questioned VA’s Tellez and DelBene regarding the VA website’s quality assurance and quality checks given that a decade went by between 2011 and 2021 when the dependency claims issue first went undetected and unresolved. Read more

GSA: lack of funds limiting opportunities to sell underutilized real estate.

POTUS is facing calls from Congress to make better use of federal office space and eliminate buildings no longer in use. Many federal employees are preparing to head back to the office more regularly after OMB directed agencies to increase “meaningful” in-office work. However, the GSA says a lack of funds is limiting the opportunities it has to sell underutilized real estate. Read more | See also: Call for independent oversight

Fed CDOs turning to AI to power data analysis, readiness goals.

The federal government relies on data as one of its most valuable assets when it comes to making informed decisions that impact multiple federal agencies; several fed CDOs are therefore turning to AI and automation to power their goals for better data analysis and readiness. Read more

ICYMI Snippets

• RFI: VA is seeking Infrastructure Operations (IO) - Enterprise Service Management (ESM)

• DOE working on two projects related to generative AI.

• Senate Intelligence Committee chairman presses OMB to evaluate cyber IoT policies.

• NSA is developing a tech-rich Antarctic research vessel.

• Not essential: Shutdown would force CISA to furlough more than 80% of staff.

Civilian Contracts Awards

• Peraton secures $32M IRS contract for enterprise systems testing.

• Forest Service chooses 28 for $2B light fixed-wing national air attack contract.

• DHA awards $1.5B in health care services contracts to six vendors.

• Titan Alpha snags $24M VA integrated healthcare transformation task.

Follow Civilian Leaders

• IRS contact center SME joins GDIT as senior program director.

• LMI SVP clinches group chair position in 4×24 Program at Executive Mosaic.

• Former FedCIO VP takes on role as Director of BD at Edgewater.

Civilian Job Openings

• DOJ criminal division seeking Deputy Chief Information Officer.

• USDA Rural Development seeks Deputy Administrator.

M&A CORNER

NO GO! VSE, Bernhard Capital Partners drop federal & defense segment deal.

VSE and Bernhard Capital Partners have agreed to cancel a ~$100M deal for BCP to acquire VSE’s federal and defense business after both parties failed to secure the necessary approvals and meet other closing conditions in a timely manner. Read more

Arlington Capital strikes deal with Thoma Bravo for Exostar.

Private equity firm Arlington Capital Partners has agreed to purchase secure business collaboration platforms provider Exostar from software investment firm Thoma Bravo for an undisclosed sum. Read more

SHOWER THOUGHTS 🚿

What's happened when Americans have entered - and been detained by - North Korea in the past?

Many Americans have entered North Korea over the years, and some were motivated by evangelical zeal, others by the mystery of a severely cloistered police state. Still others were detained after entering North Korea as tourists. But how did each story end for these Americans traversing this isolationist state shrouded in mystery? Read more

Is the Amazon anti-trust case really a million miles from government contractors?

The anti-trust lawsuit against Amazon might seem like a million miles from government contractors, but it may be the case that GovCon businesses and their employees need to be prepared for ripple effects across the market. Read more

What does it take to end a government shutdown?

Despite the myriad reasons underlying past federal government shutdowns, the objective remains fairly simple: to achieve a specific policy, one political majority in Congress threatens to withhold budget appropriations while an opposing political faction, often the White House, threatens to prevent that policy from becoming law. Read more

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