8 novembre 2019 | International, Aérospatial
By: Nathan Strout
Dozens of space companies descended on San Francisco, California Nov. 5 for a unique opportunity: the chance to walk away with a same day contract with the Air Force.
Opportunities like that don't happen every day for smaller businesses and start-ups, but at the first Air Force Space Pitch Days, 30 companies presented ideas to Air Force acquisition leaders who were authorized to hand out contracts on the spot. At the end of the first day, the Air Force had issued $9 million in contracts to 12 companies, with more companies slated to pitch their ideas on day two.
While the “Shark Tank”-inspired event may seem like a gimmick, it's part of an effort by the Air Force to engage with businesses that don't have the resources or know-how to compete with large, established defense contractors for military projects, but may have innovative solutions that the military needs.
“This is part of a broader vision we have to return Air Force to its innovation roots,” said Will Roper, the Air Force's assistant secretary for acquisition, technology and logistics during a Nov. 6 media availability. “We want to be where innovation is happening. We want to partner with commercial companies that have aspirations to make the world a better place with their technologies, but make it clear that there is a way to work with the Air Force to achieve that objective ... Innovation is going to be its own competitive domain, almost a battlefield. And we've got to win the innovation battle."
Not every company that presents at pitch days will succeed, but through events like this Roper hopes to give smaller businesses a chance and hopefully discover what he calls defense unicorns, non-traditional companies that have innovative solutions but lack the resources to bring them to market and connect to military customers.
“How do we do that, where we can start making defense unicorns?” said Roper. “That must happen if we're going to compete against countries like China long term. If the unicorns in defense are only started by billionaires, then we'll ultimately lose. We need companies that have ambitions without that huge billionaire backing up front to find a way to stardom through us.”
With pitch days, the Air Force is using Small Business Innovative Research awards to reach these companies early in the design process and then foster them through to production in three phases.
“By the time we get to Space Pitch Day next year, we should have the three-fold approach continually in cycle. Phase 1, get you in the door, very small contract, help you understand your Air Force customer, get you mentored to come to a pitch event like this. Phase 2 you're pitching to the customer and the war fighter, show your product actually has a match to our mission, get you on a bigger contract where you can prototype, develop and test. Then Phase 3, you're productizing. Your getting your product ready to sell to us, ready to use by us, and hopefully that's on a path to selling to the world,” said Roper.
“What I expect will happen in an ad hoc way is that a lot of our investment in these companies will be matched by private investors,” he added.
The Air Force first introduced the pitch day concept at an event in March, where they doled out $8.75 million between 51 companies. Since then the Air Force has held several other events, with individual days devoted to fields such as hypersonic weapons or intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance systems.
“Whether it's data analytics or some sort of software sensing methodology; whether its hardware, advanced rocket designs or better rocket fuel; whether its small sats or new ground sensors–those kind of innovations are the things that we are entertaining this week and will continue to entertain,” said Lt. Gen. John ‘JT' Thompson, commander of the Air Force's Space and Missile Systems Center. “Maybe not all of them, but many of them could become game changers in our efforts to maintain the United States Air Force's superiority in space.”
8 juin 2023 | International, Naval
The Marine Corps is mulling future amphibious concepts and platforms, even while a Pentagon study on the near-term acquisition of amphib ships is ongoing.
28 juin 2021 | International, Aérospatial
ARLINGTON, Va. — Leonardo DRS Inc.’s Airborne & Intelligence Systems business division was awarded a contract from Cubic Mission and Performance Solutions (CMPS), a division of Cubic Corporation, to deliver additional P5 Combat Training Systems (P5CTS) for the F-35 Lightning II, Leonardo...
6 juillet 2020 | International, Aérospatial, Naval, Terrestre, C4ISR, Sécurité
ARMY EA-Baker JV, Hunt Valley, Maryland, was awarded a $99,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract to support the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in executing the Defense Logistics Agency Energy fuels infrastructure mission for fuel leak detection. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of July 2, 2025. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha, Nebraska, is the contracting activity (W9128F-20-D-0028). NCI Information System, Reston, Virginia, was awarded a $57,285,857 contract for information technology and audiovisual engineering and installation services. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work will be performed in Fort Belvoir, Virginia, with an estimated completion date of July 1, 2022. Fiscal 2020 procurement, defense-wide funds in the amount of $57,285,857 were obligated at the time of the award. The Army Contracting Command, Detroit Arsenal, Michigan, is the contracting activity. (W50NH9-20-F-0039). Don Jon Marine Co., Hillside, New Jersey, was awarded a $19,697,607 modification (P00004) to contract W912DS-19-C-0013 for dredging the Newark Bay main channel. Work will be performed in Newark, New Jersey, with an estimated completion date of Sept. 27, 2020. Fiscal 2018, 2019, and 2020 civil construction funds in the amount of $19,697,607 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New York, New York, is the contracting activity. LGC Global Inc.,* Detroit, Michigan, was awarded a $7,506,196 firm-fixed-price contract for construction of a youth center annex at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst. Bids were solicited via the internet with 11 received. Work will be performed at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey, with an estimated completion date of July 16, 2021. Fiscal 2020 non-appropriated funds in the amount of $7,506,196 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New York, New York, is the contracting activity (W912DS-20-C-0016). AIR FORCE LinQuest Corp., Los Angeles, California, has been awarded a $76,637,171 cost-plus-fixed-fee modification (P00014) to contract FA8808-19-C-0006 for system engineering, integration and test support for programs with increased security requirements. The modification includes an eight-month base, valued at $11,165,983, and six year-long options. Work will be performed in El Segundo, California, and is expected to be completed February 2027. Fiscal 2019 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $400,000 are being obligated at the time of award. Total cumulative face value of the contract is $142,307,233. Space and Missile Systems Center, Los Angeles Air Force Base, California, is the contracting activity. SRC Inc., North Syracuse, New York, has been awarded a $7,458,946 follow-on task order for baseline support services under the indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract FA7037-17-D-0001 for the sensor beam program. The contractor will research, analyze, technically document and perform reviews on electromagnetic systems, events and signatures required by all services and other U.S. agencies. Work will be performed at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas, and is expected to be completed Aug. 1, 2021. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $7,314,490 are being obligated at the time of award. Acquisition Management and Integration Center-Detachment 2, Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas, is the contracting activity. NAVY Huntington Ingalls Industries - Newport News Shipbuilding, Newport News, Virginia, is awarded a $36,566,645 cost-plus-fixed-fee option exercise modification to previously awarded contract N00024-20-C-2109 for engineering, technical, trade and program management support of industrial type work for operational and decommissioning submarines, submarines undergoing availabilities/conversion, special mission submersibles and submarine support facilities. Work will be performed in Newport News, Virginia (90%); Kings Bay, Georgia (3%), Bremerton, Washington (2%); Pearl Harbor, Hawaii (2%); Kittery, Maine (2%); and Groton, Connecticut (1%). This contract includes advanced submarine research and development, including studies to support the future development, production and sustainment phases of the platforms. Work is expected to be completed by September 2022. This contract was not competitively procured. Fiscal 2020 other procurement (Navy) funding in the amount of $5,461,081 will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity. L3 Technologies Inc. KEO, Northampton, Massachusetts, is awarded a $25,713,600 cost-plus-incentive-fee contract for engineering and technical services for the design, development, testing, system support and production of submarine photonics masts. This contract includes options which, if exercised, will bring the cumulative value of this contract to $135,810,491. Work will be performed in Northampton, Massachusetts, and is expected to be completed by June 2025. Fiscal 2020 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funding in the amount of $25,514,600; and fiscal 2020 research, development, test and evaluation funding in the amount of $199,000 will be obligated at time of award. Funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity (N00024-20-C-6249). Bristol General Contractors LLC, Anchorage, Alaska, is awarded a $22,974,412 firm-fixed-price contract for the Mission Training Complex at Shaw Air Force Base. Work will be performed in Sumter, South Carolina. The work to be performed provides for the construction of a small standard design mission training complex, to include the following: security access facility, tactical operations center pads, building information systems, energy monitoring and control system connection and intrusion detection system installation. Work is expected to be complete by May 2022. Fiscal 2018 military construction contract funds in the amount of $22,974,412 are obligated on this award and will expire at the end of fiscal 2023. This contract was competitively procured via the Navy Electronic Commerce Online website and four proposals were received. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Southeast, Jacksonville, Florida, is the contracting activity (N69450-20-C-0040). R. A. Burch Construction Co. Inc.,* Ramona, California, is awarded an $8,359,504 firm-fixed-price task order (N62473-20-F-4857) under a multiple award construction contract for the design and construction to renovate Building F at Naval Air Station North Island (NASNI), Naval Base Coronado. The task order also contains one planned modification, which, if issued will increase cumulative task order value to $9,045,991. Work will be performed in San Diego, California. The work to be performed includes all services, labor, materials and equipment necessary to design and build critical infrastructure to support installation and renovation to Building F at NASNI. The project also includes interior improvements to create additional office space on the north side of the building, landscape improvements for the southern courtyard and provide exposed ceilings in the building. The planned modification, if issued, provide for furniture, fixtures and equipment. Work is expected to be completed by January 2022. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance (Navy) contract funds in the amount of $8,359,504 are obligated on this award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Five proposals were received for this task order. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Southwest, San Diego, California, is the contracting activity (N62473-15-D-2485). DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY New Market Veterans,* New York, New York (SPE1C1-20-D-1296, $15,061,167); Big Apple Visual Group,* New York, New York (SPE1C1-20-D-1294, $14,604,768); and Hilo Enterprises,* McLean, Virginia (SPE1C1-20-D-1295, $13,235,571), have each been awarded a maximum firm-fixed-price, indefinite-quantity contract under solicitation SPE1C1-20-R-0102 for surgical masks. These were competitive acquisitions with 98 offers received. They are five-month contracts with no option periods. Locations of performance are Virginia, New York, China, and Taiwan, with a Dec. 31, 2020, ordering period end date. Using customer is Health and Human Services. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2020 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. DEFENSE ADVANCED RESEARCH PROJECTS AGENCY Mercury Defense Systems Inc., Cypress, California, was awarded a $7,280,300 modification (P00006) to previously awarded contract HR0011-18-C-0133 for additional in-scope work on a Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency research project. Work will be performed in Cypress, California, with an expected completion date of October 2022. Fiscal 2020 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $2,208,097 are being obligated at time of award. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Arlington, Virginia, is the contracting activity. *Small Business https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Contracts/Contract/Article/2246455/source/GovDelivery/