CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE “DEFENSE ACQUISITION UNIVERSITY (DAU) By Matthew Cawley, U.S. Navy Assistant Program Manager, Small Unmanned Surface Vehicles – PMS 420 “A firsthand account of employing innovative thinking and lessons learned to successfully overcome a significant Defense Acquisition System hurdle in the urgent acquisition of small, unmanned surface vehicles (sUSVs)” _________________________________________________________________________________ “The defense acquisi
“ WASHINGTON TECHNOLOGY” By Joyce Bosc “Early positioning can make the difference between being one of many bidders to being the preferred partner. For successful government contractors, the positioning work begins 12, 18, or even 24 months earlier.” _______________________________________________________________________________ “For government contractors, the contract award announcement is the visible finish line. What’s less visible is the positioning work that began 12, 1
“SMALLTOFEDS” By Ken Larson “A good rule of thumb is to consider every proposal as if it were under TINA compliance whether or not you must submit a “Certificate of Current Cost and Pricing” under TINA. This will keep your business system sharp, your ethics and standards high and your past performance record clean.” _______________________________________________________________________________ “ THE RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH DEFECTIVE PRICING We have previously discussed at th
“GOVCONWIRE” By Edward Tuorinsky “ How can businesses like yours proactively manage transformation? It requires a fundamental shift in company culture—and small steps will take you there. To transform from the company you are today to the company you want (or need!) to be, you’ll need to avoid common transformation mistakes, prioritize opportunities for transformation, and become proactive. See if any of these missteps sound familiar and consider the tips to fix them. “...
EDITOR’S NOTE: The following article in “Task and Purpose” from a few years ago by Jeff Schogol, although a bit risqué, is an apt description of the annual event I witnessed for 36 years on the inside of the Military Industrial Complex and among the nations largest defense contractors. At times those of us who know the venue well appreciate a lighter view of it. I found Jeff’s talent for knowledgeably creating that view delightful and along the lines of the legendary HBO Mov
“SMALLTOFEDS” By Ken Larson “Someone or something one day attracts your attention with the suggestion that the federal government may be in the market for your skills, products or services. Here are the paths to explore the main registration avenues available to your small business.” ________________________________________________________________________________ “You have worked hard establishing your small business in the commercial market; or you have succeeded in your pro
“DEFENSE NEWS” By Megan Eckstein “ The Vanilla Unmanned business line is owned by Platform Aerospace, a small company located outside Naval Air Station Patuxent River in southern Maryland. The Vanilla UAV was originally designed and built for the sole purpose of breaking world records which it did , with a demonstrated five-plus-day flight in 2017. Platform Aerospace wants to turn it into a must-have asset for the Navy and Marine Corps, as well as other domestic and indu
“SMALLTOFEDS” By Ken Larson “Blogging approaches can be developed as marketing brochures for multiple roles, communicated in a vast array of venues and promoted in the media ladder, But one must open people’s eyes and “Make” them understand what is offered and how it can benefit them.” ________________________________________________________________________________ “In the current business climate of high technology and Internet communications, very few small enterprises suc
“NATIONAL DEFENSE MAGAZINE” By Jere Glover “With an allocation of only 3.65 percent of federal extramural research funding, there is a wealth of objective, data-driven evidence to support the success of the SBIR and STTR program at the Defense Department over the 40-plus years of its existence.” ________________________________________________________________________________ A recent article in National Defense reported on a white paper released by the Greg and Camille Ba
Image: . wikipedia.org “SMALLTOFEDS” By Ken Larson “ Prudently used, an Earned Value Management approach gives insight into the dynamics of physical accomplishment driving project status, as opposed to plan versus actual cost tracking, which reports only that money is being spent. “ _________________________________________________________________________________ “Recently a question regarding project management prompted me to recommend a simple application of an Earned...
“ WIRED” By Garrett M. Graff “To make sense of Mueller, you have to revisit some of the bloodiest battles of Vietnam.“Although seriously wounded during the firefight, he resolutely maintained his position and, ably directing the fire of his platoon, was instrumental in defeating the North Vietnamese Army force,” reads the Navy Commendation that Mueller received for his action that day. He went on to hold high positions in five presidential administrations. He led the Crimina
“ According to Jennifer Kavanagh, Senior Fellow & Director of Military Analysis at Defense Priorities, the U.S. has spent at least $3.4 trillion countering China militarily since 2012. This figure, an average of $260 billion a year, is more than total U.S. spending on 20 years of war in Afghanistan ($2.3 trillion). “ _______________________________________________________________________________ “This report provides the first estimate of the amount the U.S. has spent competi
Vermillion River Trail - Hastings, Minnesota (click the link and then the pic for close-up view) https://www.flickr.com/photos/odysseyof_armaments/55031226844/in/dateposted-public/
“FEDSPEND” “ Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business contracts hit $28.6B in FY2025. Here’s the agency-by-agency, NAICS-by-NAICS breakdown — and why 35% of those dollars went sole-source. “ _________________________________________________________________________________ “ $28.6 Billion. The Veteran Advantage Is Real — If You Know Where to Look. The federal government’s SDVOSB (Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business) program is the second-largest set-aside catego
“MILITARY TIMES” By Jerry McGinn and Jeff Kojac “Better measurement of Agile Acquisition Vehicles is critical if we are to understand the value of our national investments and rely on them as engines of innovation. Incentives are the true drivers of innovation. Put the “non” back in nontraditional defense contractors.” _______________________________________________________________________________ “Technological innovation is a core means for societies to defend themselves a
“BREAKING DEFENSE” By CDR Adam Stein “If you start with a solving a problem, build the right relationships, use the tools to get funded, and plan ahead to stay relevant, you can make a real difference — fast.” __________________________________________________________________________________ “Breaking into the defense industrial base can be tedious. The process is slow, opaque, and often seems to favor legacy systems and established vendors. But that’s beginning to change —
“EXECUTIVEGOV” By KRISTEN SMITH “The Small Business Administration has launched termination proceedings against 628 companies in the 8(a) Business Development Program for failing to provide requested financial records”. ________________________________________________________________________________ “Why Is SBA Removing 8(a) Contractors? SBA said Wednesday the firms, which received nearly $850 million in 8(a) contracts between fiscal years 2021 and 2024, refused to submit
“SMALLTOFEDS” By Ken Larson “The federal government generally recognizes 6 principal categories of acquisitions. Below is an extract from the FAR for each. It is possible for a product to go through, or be supported by, all 6 acquisition categories during its life cycle.” ________________________________________________________________________________ FAR 34.005-3 – CONCEPT EXPLORATIONS Whenever practicable, contracts to be performed during the concept exploration phase are f
“WASHINGTON TECHNOLOGY ” By Patrick Tucker, Science and Technology Editor “Even as the Pentagon was noisily ejecting Anthropic from its good graces a new class of AI startups run by people with military experience is dedicated to help the service ‘to tackle real operational problems’—that is, designed specifically to help soldiers do their jobs.” “The battle between AI model builder Anthropic and the Pentagon has exposed a huge gap between what AI tools the military want
