Air Force, Lockheed Martin, Collins Aerospace upgrade U-2

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  March 6, 2024 | International, Land

  Spain's Indra sees revenue, profit soaring on European defence spending

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  May 19, 2020 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security

  Choosing the right commercial tech for government

  By: Meagan Metzger In today's crisis-stricken world, it is heartening to see leaders recognizing the importance of government support for innovative, private sector solutions to the problems facing the defense industry. For the Department of Defense, reforming policies and refocusing priorities so that commercial tech can be successfully implemented to support the defense industry's mission is essential. The DoD's endorsement not only encourages emerging tech startups to consider government compliance and scale in their business models from the very beginning; it also protects our national security — and service members in uniform — by putting the most innovative technology into play. But creating more opportunities for commercial tech companies to secure government contracts is only the beginning. For government agencies to successfully take advantage of innovative tech from the private sector, a few things need to happen — and the sooner, the better. First, the government needs to look beyond legacy contracts. As has been noted by venture capital leaders, the announced provisions of the coronavirus relief legislation, the CARES Act, “to streamline the Defense Department contracting process” currently apply only to contracts worth $100 million or more. This excludes emerging commercially successful tech companies that could have a significant impact at the government level. Separate, though related, are needed reforms to the Small Business Innovation Research program. The National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal 2020 provides additional SBIR flexibility for small businesses that are more than 50 percent owned by venture capital, but the DoD has yet to fully promulgate this new flexibility authority. Until eligibility standards are adjusted, the DoD is missing the chance to work with proven, VC-backed companies. Of course not all commercial tech companies are equipped to support government missions; and to ignore the importance of a rigorous evaluation process is even more harmful than ignoring commercial tech all together. Finding emerging tech is easy. Evaluating and equipping tech companies for success in government is hard, particularly when national security is a critical concern. The COVID-19 crisis has made it even more apparent that government agencies need to be able to implement tech solutions quickly and trust that they will perform as expected. A tech company with proven success in the private sector may draw the government's attention and show that it can deliver, but there are other equally important indicators to consider when determining if a company is capable of performing as expected at the government level. The Pentagon, like any government agency, must rely on data-backed advice and expertise to identify which commercial tech solutions are most likely to succeed in the federal market. Finding technology companies should not be a quantity play, but focus more on fit and quality. Moving fast requires working with private sector partners who have experience vetting tech companies for government contracts, which we've seen leaders do, like Space and Missile Systems Center's Air Force Col. Russell Teehan and the head of Air Force Program Executive Office Digital Steven Wert. Partners that are federally focused — with deep knowledge of government problem sets and missions — can identify which tech companies are viable technically and will be viable in the federal market. Assessing tech's viability requires specific experience evaluating a set of qualitative characteristics unique to this market, in addition to the typical “can they work with government" questions like: “Where is the code compiled?” Government agencies should also look to VCs and accelerators that can specifically guide tech companies through the government market contracting process and equip them to succeed in the long term. For instance, in 2019, the United States Air Force worked with Dcode to scout technology for the service's Multi-Domain Operations Challenge, and seven of the 30 finalists were companies that had completed the Dcode accelerator to prepare for success in the federal market. Supporting these tech companies requires more than just a singular contract award. To get over the “valley of death,” companies have to understand everything from compliance to how to staff, rework operational processes and market effectively, to name a few. There is no question that working with the right emerging tech companies is imperative for the DoD and other government agencies. But at a moment in history when time is particularly of the essence, there is no room for trial and error when it comes to identifying which tech companies can meet the government's specific needs. By working with private sector partners that have extensive government expertise and proven results, the DoD can confidently implement innovative technology that addresses its most critical needs in a time of crises and well into the future. Meagan Metzger is the founder and CEO of Dcode. She also serves on an advisory board for Booz Allen Hamilton, and another advisory board for the Defense Entrepreneurs Forum. She previously worked as chief operating officer of a mobile and cloud company, as well as chief strategy officer at an IT consultancy. https://www.defensenews.com/opinion/commentary/2020/05/14/choosing-the-right-commercial-tech-for-government/

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  February 5, 2020 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security

  Contract Awards by US Department of Defense - February 04, 2020

  ARMY Baywest LLC,* St. Paul, Minnesota (W912DY-20-D-0015); Bhate Zapata JV,* Birmingham, Alabama (W912DY-20-D-0016); HydroGeoLogic Inc.,* Reston, Virginia (W912DY-20-D-0017); IE Weston Federal Svcs JVB LLC,* West Chester, Pennsylvania (W912DY-20-D-0018); PIKA International Inc.,* Stafford, Texas (W912DY-20-D-0019); and Seres Arcadis SB JV LLC, Mount Pleasant,* South Carolina (W912DY-20-D-0020), will compete for each order of the $400,000,000 cost-plus-fixed fee, firm-fixed-price contract to perform Military Munitions Response Program responses involving conventional munitions and other munitions-related services. Bids were solicited via the internet with 18 received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Feb. 3, 2025. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Huntsville, Alabama, is the contracting activity. NAVY BAE Systems San Diego Ship Repair, San Diego, California (N00024-16-D-4416); Huntington Ingalls Industries Inc., San Diego, California (N00024-16-D-4417); and General Dynamics, NASSCO, San Diego, California (N00024-16-D-4418), are being awarded a $275,110,745 firm-fixed-price modification to exercise Option Period Four to previously awarded indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity multiple award contracts for complex, emergent and continuous maintenance and Chief of Naval Operations availabilities on surface combatants homeported in San Diego, California. Work will be performed in San Diego, California, and is expected to be completed by March 2021. No funding will be obligated when the option is exercised. The Southwest Regional Maintenance Center, San Diego, California, is the contracting activity. Lyon Shipyard Inc.,* Norfolk, Virginia (N50054-20-D-0001); BMFT JV,* Chesapeake, Virginia (N50054-20-D-0002); Colonna's Shipyard Inc.,* Norfolk, Virginia (N50054-20-D-0003); Fairlead Boatworks,* Newport News, Virginia (N50054-20-D-0004); and East Coast Repair and Fabrication,* Norfolk, Virginia (N50054-20-D-0005), are each awarded a fixed-price, multiple award, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract to provide messing and berthing barges support in support of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Maintenance Center, Norfolk, Virginia. Lyon Shipyard Inc.* is awarded $82,029,325; BMFT JV* is awarded $87,651,824; Colonna's Shipyard Inc.* is awarded $96,692,648; Fairlead Boatworks* is awarded $97,020,569; and East Coast Repair and Fabrication* is awarded $109,260,981. This contract includes options which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative ceiling value of this contract to $109,260,981. Work will be primarily performed in the Hampton Roads area, Norfolk, Virginia, and is expected to be completed by January 2021; if options are exercised, work is expected to be completed by February 2025. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance (Navy) funding in the amount of $60,000 ($12,000 minimum guarantee per contract) will be obligated at time of award, and funding in the amount of $60,000 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This multiple award contract was procured as a small business set-aide via Federal Business Opportunities with six offers received. The Mid-Atlantic Regional Maintenance Center, Norfolk, Virginia, is the contracting activity. Colonna Shipyards Inc., Norfolk, Virginia, is being awarded a $10,536,728 firm-fixed-price contract for a 75-day shipyard availability for the regular post shakedown availability of USNS Burlington (T-EPF 10). Work will include Pump Room 1 and 2 renewal, tow modifications, Pump Room 7 and 8, ladder install, bilge preservation main engine rooms, line shaft bearing annual maintenance, freeze protection pipe heat trace instillation, freeze protection mission bay installation, perform annual stern ramp maintenance, install fuel sensors in diesel fuel service system, modify diesel fuel bunking piping, stern ramp upgrades, fire station isolation valves, adaptive force package temporary sensitive compartment information facility installations and temporary sensitive compartment information facility adaptive force package heating ventilation and an air condition upgrade install. This contract includes a 75-day base period and three options, which if exercised would bring the cumulative value of this contract to $10,711,518. Work will be performed at Colonna Shipyard Inc. and is expected to be completed by May 15, 2020. Navy working capital contract funds in the amount of $10,536,728 are obligated for fiscal 2020, and will expire at the end of the fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured with proposals solicited via the beta.SAM.gov website and two offers received. The Military Sealift Command, Norfolk, Virginia, is the contracting activity (N32205-20-C-6712). Data Link Solutions LLC, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, is awarded a $9,140,302 firm-fixed-price order for Joint Tactical Information Distribution System (JTIDS) Cryptographic Modernization (CM) kits. The JTIDS CM Kits will provide a build-to-print solution to maintain secure operations of Link 16 for all versions of the JTIDS terminal. This order covers the production of 47 kits along with the associated program management, testing and logistics support to deliver the kits. This order includes one option which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this order to an estimated $12,057,419. If all options are exercised, work could continue until September 2021. Work will be performed in Wayne, New Jersey, with an expected completion date of July 2021. Fiscal 2020 other procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $9,140,302 will be obligated at the time of award. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This order was negotiated as a sole-source under the authority of 10 U.S. Code 2304(c)(1), using the procedures defined under Federal Acquisition Regulation 13.5 for orders less than $13,000,000. The Naval Information Warfare Systems Command, San Diego, California, is the contracting activity (N00039-20P0003). DEFENSE HEALTH AGENCY Nexsys Electronics, doing business as MedWeb,* San Francisco, California, was awarded a definitized, firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, single award contract (HT0038-19-D-0002) with a maximum value of $52,852,585. This contract provides in-theater systems support services for the Deployed Tele-Radiology System, a commercial imaging product used at military treatment facilities. This effort has one-base year, two option years, and one six-month optional ordering period. The estimated completion date is May 11, 2022. Work location is task order dependent but will primarily occur in San Francisco, California. The base task order was funded by fiscal 2019 and 2020 operations and maintenance funds. The award is the result of a non-competitive sole-source action. The contracting activity is the Defense Health Agency, Falls Church, Virginia. (Awarded Dec. 3, 2019) DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY The Boeing Co., St. Louis, Missouri, has been awarded a maximum $15,275,346 firm-fixed-price contract for the production of KC-135 aircraft structural component fittings (landing gear trunnions). This was a sole-source acquisition using justification 10 U.S. Code 2304 (c)(1), as stated in Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1. This is a one-year contract with no option periods. Location of performance is Missouri, with a Jan. 31, 2023, performance completion date. Using military service is Air Force. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2020 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Aviation, Richmond, Virginia (SPE4A5-20-F-8228). (Awarded Jan. 31, 2020) *Small business https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Contracts/Contract/Article/2074589/source/GovDelivery/