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Isabel Guzman: Federal Govt Exceeds FY 2020 Small Biz Contracting Goal With $13B Increase
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Isabel Guzman: Federal Govt Exceeds FY 2020 Small Biz Contracting Goal With $13B Increase

Fiscal year 2020 saw $145.7 billion in federal contracts awarded to small businesses, reflecting 26.01 percent of prime contracting dollars and a $13 billion increase from the previous year’s record, according to a Small Business Administration report.

SBA gave the federal government an overall rating of “A” on its annual scorecard for surpassing the 23 percent prime contracting goal, the agency said Thursday. Eight federal agencies achieved an “A+” for small business contracting efforts during FY 2020.

SBA Administrator Isabel Guzman said that entrepreneurs nationwide “used their trademark ingenuity, grit and determination to do a record amount of contracts” with the government despite a challenging year for the business sector.

The latest Small Business Federal Procurement Scorecard shows that the government topped its service-disabled veteran-owned small business and small disadvantaged business targets of 3 percent and 5 percent, respectively.

However, the SBA noted that despite the overall increase in the number of small business awards, the number of small businesses that secured prime contracts from the federal government decreased.

“Our goal this year, and every year, is to make sure that small businesses can be like the giants they are in our economy and to create conditions to guarantee their success,” Guzman said.

The Biden administration aims to increase the target small disadvantaged businesses contract awarding to 50 percent for the next five years, according to SBA.

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NAVWAR’s DevSecOps Pipeline to Serve as Digital Environment for Classified Mission Applications
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NAVWAR’s DevSecOps Pipeline to Serve as Digital Environment for Classified Mission Applications

Naval Information Warfare (NAVWAR) Systems Command has launched a cloud-based DevSecOps pipeline in an effort to help U.S. Navy personnel secure and manage data and applications.

The Overmatch Software Armory (OSA), a digital environment that complies with the Impact Level 6 requirements, utilizes methods to manage the security of the Navy’s software development cycle, the service said Wednesday.

Under IL6, the platform can take in classified information from the Department of Defense up to secret level. The Navy noted that this version of OSA has been included in the Naval Digital Marketplace, where users are supported with a classified environment for testing and tactical purposes.

Travis Methvin, cloud program manager in the Navy's Program Executive Office for Digital and Enterprise Services (PEO Digital), said the digital marketplace functions as the gateway for DevSecOps products and services. 

OSA has been integrated into several projects including the Risk Management Framework, a cybersecurity strategy for enterprise-level authorization of information technology tools, and the Project Overmatch, which uses artificial intelligence and machine learning systems for fleet modernization.

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GAO: Federal Government Needs Comprehensive Cybersecurity Strategy
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GAO: Federal Government Needs Comprehensive Cybersecurity Strategy

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has recommended that the federal government develop and implement a comprehensive cybersecurity strategy, mitigate supply chain risks and address weaknesses in its information security programs to strengthen cyber and information technology management efforts. 

GAO issued an update in March and highlighted the need for the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and other federal agencies to fully implement key measures to improve IT management, according to a report published Wednesday.

OMB should sustain its leadership commitment to enhancing IT management and work with other agencies to address challenges related to IT modernization and workforce planning.

Other critical actions agencies should take are enhancing the authority of chief information officers, lowering the risk of wasteful spending and reducing duplicative IT contracts.

“Until OMB and federal agencies take critical actions to strengthen efforts to address these important high-risk areas, longstanding and pervasive weaknesses will likely continue to jeopardize the nation's cybersecurity and management of IT,” the GAO report reads.

Supply Chain Cybersecurity: Revelations and Innovations

ExecutiveBiz, sister site of GovConDaily and part of the Executive Mosaic digital media umbrella, will host a virtual event about securing the supply chain on Oct. 26. Visit ExecutiveBiz.com to sign up for the “Supply Chain Cybersecurity: Revelations and Innovations” event.

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Gen. James Dickinson: Spacecom has a More Operational Role In Space Defense
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Gen. James Dickinson: Spacecom has a More Operational Role In Space Defense

Gen. James Dickinson, who leads U.S. Space Command, said Spacecom has a more operational role than the U.S. Space Force in military activities.

He said at the McCrary Institute/Space Policy Institute's "Securing Space" event that the Space Force is in charge of planning, training and arming the U.S. military's space component, and Spacecom puts those preparations to use.

"Space-based capabilities enable virtually every element of our national power, including diplomacy, economics, finance and information," he said, noting that most U.S. citizens don't understand the importance of space assets.

Dickinson said Spacecom's mission is to prevent conflict from reaching space and, if unavoidable, engage in space combat.

Gen. James Dickinson: Spacecom has a More Operational Role In Space Defense

If you are interested in the Department of Defense's space goals, check out GovConWire’s Space Acquisition Forum on Sept. 14th. Register here.

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Cyber Command Sees Procurement Opportunities After Budget Limit Removal
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Cyber Command Sees Procurement Opportunities After Budget Limit Removal

Congress lifted U.S. Cyber Command's $75 million spending limit and USCYBERCOM leaders believe this action would allow for creative procurement strategies, C4ISRnet reported Wednesday.

Sharothi Pikar, the command's acquisition executive, said fully removing the procurement ceiling would allow USCYBERCOM to more flexibly address operational requirements. 

She made this statement Tuesday at the Cyber Command virtual industry forum, which aimed to inform the private sector about the command's needs. Congress lifted the procurement limit through the recent National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). 

The command's newly established cyber-dedicated Program Executive Office (PEO) to manage federally funded programs, which cover programs of record, cyber national mission force capabilities and ongoing operations.

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Noblis Launches Noblis MSD Following McKean Defense Acquisition; CEO Amr ElSawy Quoted
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Noblis Launches Noblis MSD Following McKean Defense Acquisition; CEO Amr ElSawy Quoted

Noblis announced on Wednesday that the company has launched Noblis MSD, a new rebranded subsidiary made up of the recently acquired McKean Defense Group and Cabrillo Technologies, to deliver solutions that drive new levels of scale, agility, efficiency and innovation for the defense clients.

As a Noblis subsidiary, Noblis MSD will bring the complementary capabilities of both organizations together to deliver solutions that drive new levels of scale, agility, efficiency and innovation for the U.S. Navy and other defense clients.

“Noblis MSD combines decades of specialized defense mission domain knowledge with the latest technological innovation, and the resulting synergies will directly benefit both our clients and our employees,” said Amr ElSawy, president and CEO of Noblis, and a two-time Wash100 Award recipient.

Noblis MSD will focus on supporting the unique needs of its defense clients and U.S. service branches by combining decades of domain expertise with emerging capabilities in artificial intelligence, machine learning, cyber, robotic process automation, autonomy and model-based systems engineering.

“We are strongly positioned to deliver more comprehensive, agile solutions at scale, to help drive our clients’ readiness and transformation initiatives—while empowering our employees with exciting opportunities for growth,” ElSawy added.

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Navy’s Prize Competition Seeks Expeditionary USVs for Waterside Security; Steve Bordonaro Quoted
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Navy’s Prize Competition Seeks Expeditionary USVs for Waterside Security; Steve Bordonaro Quoted

A Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) division has launched a $50,000 prize challenge for technology companies to design an unmanned surface vehicle for waterside security operations.

The U.S. Navy is interested in a USV platform that can carry various payloads, be assembled in less than two hours and be reused with minimal maintenance, Naval Sea Systems Command said Tuesday.

NUWC Division Newport partnered with Rhode Island-based nonprofit organization 401 Tech Bridge to organize the competition, which the Navy said is open to both domestic and international entities.

"These Prize Challenges are a way to crowdsource a solution to a Navy problem with a rapid timeline for a response, an evaluation and money going to companies who best meet the Navy’s requirements," said Steve Bordonaro, director of NUWC Newport's Northeast Tech Bridge.

Navy officials will use the written challenge submissions, due Sept. 13, to select sources for a potential follow-on other transaction prototype award valued at up to $1 million.

Division Newport concluded a prize challenge for 3D-printed ship handwheels on July 13th.

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NASA Clears Boeing Starliner Spacecraft for 2nd Uncrewed Flight Test
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NASA Clears Boeing Starliner Spacecraft for 2nd Uncrewed Flight Test

Boeing's CST-100 Starliner spacecraft has passed the launch readiness review phase, clearing the way for the company to launch its second uncrewed flight to the International Space Station as part of NASA's Commercial Crew Program.

Starliner is scheduled to liftoff on Friday at 2:53 p.m. Eastern time at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida aboard United Launch Alliance's Atlas V rocket, the agency said Tuesday.

NASA expects the Boeing Orbital Flight Test-2 (OFT-2) mission to provide data the agency will use to evaluate the capability of the crew module to ferry astronauts to space.

The spacecraft will carry an anthropometric test device, nicknamed Rosie the Rocketeer, to study what astronauts would experience during flight and over 400 pounds of cargo and supplies to the orbiting laboratory.

During OFT-2, Starliner will test various spacecraft capabilities such as a vision-based navigation system, an automated retreat feature and avionics, electrical power and propulsion technologies.

Five to 10 days after docking with the ISS, Starliner will aim to bring over 550 pounds of cargo back to Earth and land in the western U.S. NASA said that a manned flight test could take place at the end of 2021 should Starliner complete the objectives of the upcoming mission.

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Air Force Tests Vidisco-Built Digital Imaging Platform for Explosive Ordnance Disposal
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Air Force Tests Vidisco-Built Digital Imaging Platform for Explosive Ordnance Disposal

The U.S. Air Force's explosive ordnance disposal technicians have tested a portable imaging system Vidisco developed to help military users view X-ray images of homemade and unexploded bombs.

The 22-pound Guardian 12 Digital Radiographic device has a compact case that can be carried for flyaway operations and is designed to function even in extreme temperatures, the Air Force said Tuesday.

USAF expects to receive 331 Guardian 12 systems from Vidisco's U.S. subsidiary through 2026 under a $30 million contract and plans to distribute the systems together with training events over a five-year period.

The branch procured the DR technology to replace three interim commercial off-the-shelf products that support its EOD missions and noted that AFCEC collaborated with the AF Installation Contracting Center’s 772nd Enterprise Sourcing Squadron in the procurement effort.

Guardian 12 X-rays are intended to work via both wired and wireless connections.

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VA Begins Efforts to Create Pool of Candidates for Undersecretary for Health Position
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VA Begins Efforts to Create Pool of Candidates for Undersecretary for Health Position

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has begun its search for candidates as part of efforts to fill the role of undersecretary of health. VA said Tuesday that it is looking for a health care leader to oversee the Veterans Health Administration as it moves to modernize the department’s health care delivery initiatives.

The undersecretary for health should have experience with VHA programs and ability in health care administration, financial management and policy formulation.

VA is establishing a pool of candidates for consideration by the U.S. president. The presidential appointee would have to be confirmed by the Senate, according to a posting on USAJOBS. 

Candidates should have knowledge of VHA’s four statutory missions: developing, maintaining and operating a national health care delivery system for eligible veterans; administering an education and training program for health care personnel; leading a health care research and development program focused on improving the well-being of veterans and providing contingency support for the country’s health care in times of national emergency.

The department is looking for candidates with experience overseeing the operations of a large health care enterprise. Candidates should also implement the VA secretary’s vision to transform the department and serve as an accountable steward of VHA’s financial and human capital resources, according to the job posting.

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