Georgia Tech Procurement Assistance Center

Pentagon moves to cut procurement red tape in a bid to catch up with technology

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The defense acquisition bureaucracy inside the Pentagon is being downsized from 17 to eight offices. Senior civilian management positions are being pared down from 353 to 233, and military posts from 61 to 42. Contracts that required 83 checks and approvals will need just 22. Weapon systems that were centrally managed by the Pentagon are being turned over to the military services.

“We are rethinking how we do business,” Ellen Lord, undersecretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment, told reporters on July 27th.

With China and Russia threatening to out-innovate the United States in areas like advanced missiles, additive manufacturing, space weapons and artificial intelligence, the Pentagon is not just in a competition against adversaries but also in a race against itself.

How the Pentagon buys technology in the digital age has long been a cause for concern and is a major theme in the defense policy bill for fiscal year 2019 that a House-Senate conference passed last week. The bill includes dozens of provisions for “rapid innovation,” “rapid prototyping” and “rapid acquisition.”

Keep reading this article at: https://spacenews.com/pentagon-moves-to-cut-procurement-red-tape-in-a-bid-to-catch-up-with-technology/

Company and officers to pay $1.9 million to settle False Claims Act SBIR allegations

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Maryland-based MassTech, Inc., its former Chief Executive Officer, Arnold Lee, and its former Chief Financial Officer, Richard Lee, have agreed to pay the United States $1.9 million to resolve allegations that MassTech falsely certified it was a small business concern in order to obtain Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) awards.

The settlement agreement was announced on May 3, 2018.

 

The SBIR program is a set-aside program for small businesses.  The purpose of the SBIR program is to strengthen the role of small business concerns in federally funded research and development and to increase private sector commercialization.  To receive SBIR funds, each awardee of an SBIR Phase I or II award must qualify as a small business at the time of the award as well as throughout the duration of the award.  To be eligible, the small business and its affiliates collectively must have fewer than 500 employees.  According to the settlement agreement, the government alleged that MassTech, Arnold Lee, and Richard Lee falsely represented to the National Science Foundation (NSF), to NASA, and to the Dept. of Health & Human Services (HHS) that MassTech was an eligible small business concern at the time of the SBIR application as well as throughout the lifecycle of the award.  As a result, NSF, NASA, and HHS approved and funded SBIR awards to MassTech that MassTech otherwise would not have received.  MassTech, Arnold Lee, and Richard Lee denied the United States’ allegations.

NSF’s Office of Inspector General, the NASA Office of Inspector General, and the HHS Office of Inspector General worked in the investigation.  The settlement agreement was announced by the U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/pr/masstech-richard-lee-and-arnold-lee-pay-us-19-million-settle-false-claims-act-allegations

Tech Square Innovation Week starts May 7th

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Technology Square on the Georgia Tech campus in Midtown Atlanta.

Technology Square is abuzz with the activity of startups, corporate innovation, and disruptive research, as well as outstanding student talent from the Georgia Institute of Technology.

For one week in spring 2018 — May 7-10 — the Tech Square neighborhood and the components that make it one of the nation’s most successful ecosystems of ideation and disruption will be on display as part of Tech Square Innovation Week.

The Georgia Institute of Technology’s Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC) and its Enterprise Innovation Institute are the hosts of Tech Square Innovation Week.

“With this week, we and our partners really wanted to show all the various components that make Tech Square the vibrant innovation ecosystem that it is,” said Jen Bonnett, ATDC general manager.

“Tech Square is a national model of economic development, ideation, and technology disruption. With Tech Square Innovation Week, this is the opportunity for visitors and event attendees to see how and why we’re succeeding and possibly join to continue that momentum.”

The week’s events include a “portfolio night” at Engage, the private startup accelerator and venture fund owned and operated by its 10 founding companies, the Georgia Tech Innovation Showcase of up-and-coming research ideas Georgia Tech students and faculty have developed, and the Atlanta Startup Battle at Tech Square Labs, with $100,000 at stake.

Tech Square Innovation Week also includes the Technology Association of Georgia’s FinTech South 2018, a two-day summit focused on the latest trends in the financial technology sector, and the ATDC RetailTech Summit, which will explore technological disruptions and opportunities in that sector.

Tech Square Innovation Week will culminate with the 2018 ATDC Startup Showcase on May 10 at the Georgia Tech Academy of Medicine and the Renaissance Atlanta Midtown Hotel.

Now in its 32nd year, the ATDC Startup Showcase is Georgia’s largest spring startup confab. The event, which draws nearly 1,000 attendees,features more than 80of disruptive technology companies from the state of Georgia.

About Tech Square Innovation Week:

Tech Square Innovation Week — May 7 through May 10, 2018 — is a weeklong celebration that highlights and celebrates different components that combined, make Technology Square in Atlanta’s Midtown neighborhood, a national economic development model that entrepreneurship, disruption, research, corporate partnerships and investment. For more information, please visit techsquareinnovates.com.

 

About the Advanced Technology Development Center:

The Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC), a program of the Georgia Institute of Technology, is the state of Georgia’s technology startup incubator. Founded in 1980 by the Georgia General Assembly which funds it each year, ATDC’s mission is to work with entrepreneurs in Georgia to help them learn, launch, scale, and succeed in the creation of viable, disruptive technology companies. Since its founding, ATDC has grown to become one of the longest running and most successful university-affiliated incubators in the United States, with its graduate startup companies raising $3 billion in investment financing and generating more than $12 billion in revenue in the state of Georgia. To learn more, visit atdc.org.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Here’s the rundown of Tech Square Innovation Week events:

  • MAY 5: Day One Innovation Summit (All Day) at The Garage at Tech Square – The Day One Challenge is open to students in accredited Georgia high schools and this year’s contest will focus on artificial intelligence.
  • MAY 6: Creative Hack (4 p.m.- 5 p.m.) at The Garage at Tech Square – High school students from Frederick Douglass High School and Forrest Hill Academy will pitch their ideas integrating technology for financial management to help their peers in Southwest Atlanta. Students apply the design innovation model to present their creative ideas.
  • MAY 7: Tech Square Innovation Week Kick-Off Party (5 p.m.) – in the ATDC Lobby.
  • MAY 7 & 8: FinTech South 2018 (All Day) at Mercedes-Benz Stadium – FinTech South 2018 is a global exchange of insights, innovations and trends fueling tomorrow’s financial tech industry.
  • MAY 8: Atlanta Startup Battle (6 p.m.) at Tech Square Labs – Atlanta Startup Battle is the freshest and most unique pitch competition in Atlanta. With 100+ ideas and 2 days of competition, the top participants develop their ideas with seasoned mentors and present to investor judges, real VCs from Atlanta and Silicon Valley, all in an effort to help Atlanta build, scale, and fund the next generation of outstanding tech companies.
  • MAY 9: Georgia Tech Innovation Showcase (1 p.m.-3 p.m.) at Tech Square Research Building – See Georgia Tech’s best student teams, student startups, and research projects currently being commercialized at the Georgia Tech Innovation Showcase. Hosted by ATDC and its partners, VentureLab, and CREATE-X.
  • MAY 9: ATDC Retail Summit (9 a.m. – 5 p.m.) at the Hodges Room in Centergy – A gathering of retail executives and innovators gather to discuss the future of retail and the technologies impacting it.
  • MAY 9: Engage Spring Portfolio Night (4 p.m. – 7 p.m.) Engage will present its new portfolio of startups to investors and corporate executives at Invesco Global Headquarters, Two Peachtree Pointe, 1555 Peachtree St. NE.
  • MAY 9: ATDC Investor Dinner (7 p.m.) at Community Smith – A gathering of local and out-of-town investors.
  • MAY 10: ATDC Startup Showcase (11:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.) at Renaissance Hotel – The ATDC Startup Showcase is the premier Atlanta technology event where more than 800 investors, corporate partners, entrepreneurs, and researchers converge to discover the most promising and emerging technologies, network with each other, and forge new relationships and partnerships.
  • MAY 10: Tech Square Block Party (5:30 p.m.) at Centergy Courtyard – Food, games, drinks, & a live performance from a Georgia-based Grammy Award Winning Act.

RELATED LINKS

CONTACT INFORMATION

Péralte C. Paul

404.894.8727

peralte.paul@gatech.comm.edu

Technology startups can tap into Chinese investors, strategic partners and professional services firms

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The U.S. China Innovation Alliance (UCIA), in partnership with Georgia Tech’s Enterprise Innovation Institute, is organizing a May 16, 2018 event in Atlanta to promote innovation through the exchange of ideas and collaboration between U.S. innovative technology startups and Chinese investors, strategic partners and professional services firms.

The event is called the 2018 InnoSTARS Competition.  More information and applications for participation can be made at: http://uschinainnovation.org/innostars2018/atlanta-city.

The InnoSTARS Competition is a platform for innovative U.S. companies to compete for an opportunity to travel to China to pitch their business and make international connections while getting real feedback in highly sought-after Chinese innovation hubs. Business have the opportunity to meet industry-specific investors and partners with fund sizes larger than $50 million.

Inquiries can be directed to: http://uschinainnovation.org/innostars2018/contact-us/ 

A fundamental shift is underway in today’s market — Are you prepared?

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As we move into the second half of the fiscal year, what can we take away from the last six months?

As most analysts have pointed out, we can say with some confidence that despite the budget chaos and uncertainty, the market continues to be strong. Both professional and IT services showed meaningful growth in the first quarter of fiscal 2018 and it is reasonable to expect that trend continued in the second quarter.

In addition, we now have a spending agreement that relieves the unnatural and problematic budget caps, at least for a few years. And that likely means even more growth.

And, of course, the long discussed consolidation of our industry appears to be upon us; a spate of deals has escalated talk about a restructuring of the industry.

But beyond those evident trends, there are other dynamics well worth considering.

Keep reading this article at: https://washingtontechnology.com/articles/2018/03/28/insights-soloway-market-changes.aspx

DIUx and DoD ‘other transaction’ prototype agreements: Fast track to DoD funding

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On February 7, 2018 the Department of Defense (DoD) awarded REAN Cloud a contract valued at up to $950 million to work with defense agencies to migrate existing applications to commercial cloud solutions. The award is of significant relevance to efforts currently underway in connection with the upcoming DoD Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure — or “JEDI” — procurement. However, the award is also important in a broader context in that it was issued as a follow-on production contract to an “other transaction” (OT) prototype agreement awarded on an expedited basis by DoD’s Defense Innovation Unit Experimental organization (DIUx). The award, therefore, reflects DoD’s increased comfort with issuing high-value production contracts following preliminary work with DIUx under OT prototype agreements.

In 2015, DoD founded DIUx to increase its access to technical innovations from nontraditional contractors. Defense contractors’ spend on research and development in the last decade has been adversely impacted by increasing budget cuts, protracted procurement cycles, and numerous government shutdowns. As a result, DoD has both needed and wanted access to cutting-edge technology in the commercial sector, but commercial companies with robust global markets have historically been wary of the significant compliance obligations that come with traditional defense procurements. DIUx is the Department’s attempt to contract with these innovators in a way that mimics the speed and terms of commercial transactions and significantly reduces compliance obligations.

Essential to the success of this approach is the use of OT agreements to govern DIUx transactions. According to recent congressional testimony, since it was established, DIUx has awarded 61 OT agreements totaling $145 million and averaging only 78 days from initial contact with a potential partner to signing an agreement. And, beginning in September of last year, DoD has followed some of those DIUx awards with follow-on production contracts. In addition to the recent $950 million award to REAN, DIUx has awarded two more production contracts together valued at up to more than $1 billion. Importantly, DoD can issue these high-value follow-on contracts without competition as long as competition was established for an initial DIUx OT award.

Recent efforts, therefore, suggest that DIUx, OT agreements, and follow-on production contracts are here to stay, and potential contractors of all sizes and sophistication should understand how they may impact the competitive landscape.

Keep reading this article at: https://www.natlawreview.com/article/diux-and-dod-other-transaction-prototype-agreements-fast-track-to-dod-funding

Supporting smart communities across Georgia

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A new program will help local governments across Georgia plan and implement smart development.

Georgia Tech is leading the effort that brings together industry and public agencies to support communities in their efforts to implement cutting-edge technologies.

The Georgia Smart Communities Challenge is open to large cities and smaller towns, which have not been as prominent in smart development because of a lack of access to resources.

The program, also called “Georgia Smart,” will provide seed funding and access to technical assistance, expert advice and a network of peers. A Georgia Tech researcher will advise each team and conduct research in support of their needs and goals.

“We’ve spent the past year in workshops and dialogue with local governments across Georgia to better understand their challenges and priorities,” said Debra Lam, managing director, Smart Cities and Inclusive Innovation at Georgia Tech. “From these communications, we developed a program that is sensitive to the local context while fast-tracking smart communities. We aim to create more models for smart development that can be shared and applied across the state and beyond.”

Georgia Smart is seeking proposals in the areas of smart mobility and smart resilience. Applications are due May 1.

Local Georgia governments of any size — cities, counties or consolidated city-county governments — will lead selected teams. Each of the four winning teams will receive direct grant funding of up to $50,000, in addition to a required local match.

Georgia Power is the lead sponsor of the program, with additional financial support from the Atlanta Regional Commission.

Additional partners include: Association County Commissioners of Georgia, Georgia Centers for Innovation, Georgia Chamber of Commerce, Georgia Department of Community Affairs, Georgia Municipal Association, Metro Atlanta Chamber and Technology Association of Georgia.

“Creating a better-connected Georgia requires research and collaboration from many stakeholders across every layer of the public and private sector,” said Christine Primmer, strategic manager of the Georgia Power Smart Cities initiative. “We are proud to be a leading partner in the Georgia Smart Communities Challenge as one component of our larger commitment to improving every community we serve while also building the future of energy with a more reliable and adaptive power grid.”

Smart community opportunities can help local governments and the entire region address multiple issues including mobility and economic development, said Doug Hooker, executive director, Atlanta Regional Commission.

“Community initiatives can be more successful through collaborative, people-focused approaches, and those qualities are what make the Georgia Smart Communities Challenge an important effort for the region,” Hooker said.

A series of workshops and webinars will take place in March and April, including an April 9 event on campus, to assist communities with the application process. Each team is required to send at least one representative to at least one of these events.

For more information about the Georgia Smart Communities Challenge, click here.

Focus of Feb. 20th Georgia Innovation Summit is emerging technology

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How will emerging technologies affect small businesses and what that sector will be like in the future?

That core question is the theme of the 2018 Georgia Innovation Summit, scheduled for Feb. 20 at the Georgia Tech Research Institute Conference Center in Atlanta. (Register at this link: http://workforce.georgia.org/event/3rd-annual-innovation-summit/)

Now in its third year, the Georgia Innovation Summit is an annual gathering of the state’s top business, education, and government leaders who meet in a series of panel discussions to discuss emerging trends and innovations that will affect businesses of all sizes across Georgia.

The Georgia Mentor Protégé Connection — in partnership with the Georgia Department of Economic Development, the Georgia Centers of Innovation, and Georgia Tech’s Enterprise Innovation Institute (EI2) — is presenting this year’s summit.

Keynote speakers include Jen Bonnett, general manager of Georgia Tech’s Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC), and David Justice, the Georgia Centers of Innovation’s executive director.

“Emerging technologies are rapidly shaping and changing not only the types of businesses that are being created, but also how business itself is being done,” said EI2 vice president Chris Downing.

“The topics and themes we’ll be exploring this year reflect that understanding and will help attendees better understand how they can incorporate and use emerging technologies to drive business forward.”

Among the topics is financial technology (FinTech), an important sector in Georgia’s economy. Jeff Gapusan, ATDC’s FinTech catalyst, will moderate a panel discussion titled “FinTech’s Impact on Your Business.”

The industry is big in Georgia with 70 percent of the $5.3 trillion in annual U.S. card spending being processed through companies in Georgia. “FinTech isn’t static,” Downing said. “There’s constant disruption in this sector which is affecting everything from traditional banking to retail. This panel features the thought leaders in this space who are driving that innovation.”

Other panel topics include the Internet of Things (IoT), dealing with cybersecurity, and connecting businesses with the resources they need to navigate the ever-changing business climate.

Policy shift: DoD is pushing major program management back to the military

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The Pentagon has steadily been pushing milestone authority for major defense programs to the individual military services, but shifting personnel down from the Office of the Secretary of Defense will take longer.

At a Dec. 7 hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Ellen Lord, undersecretary of defense for acquisition, logistics and technology, or AT&L, said her intention is to continue to hand off the day-to-day running of programs to the services, preferring her office serve as a kind of high-level group providing overall guidance.

“AT&L needs to be the strategic body with focus across the board, driving affordability and accountability, reducing timelines, and equipping the Services to execute their programs,” Lord said in prepared testimony, adding that the Defense Department awards an average of 1,800 new contracts a day and 36,000 delivery/task orders a day.

Keep reading this article at: https://www.federaltimes.com/pentagon/2017/12/11/policy-shift-dod-is-pushing-major-program-management-back-to-the-military/

Georgia Manufacturing Extension Partnership launches outreach initiative for food processing manufacturers

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Georgia is a one of the nation’s leading agriculture states, with the industry contributing about $74.9 billion to the state economy each year.

Damon Nix (left), senior project manager at the Georgia Manufacturing Extension Partnership, discusses ergonomic solutions for lifting bags of malt with Bobby Epperson, operations training and safety manager at Terrapin Brewery in Athens, Georgia. (Photo credit: Caley Landau)

A related sector — food processing — is a strong and growing component of the Georgia economy, and accounts for $11 billion to $12 billion each year of the state’s gross domestic product. Food processing also employs 69,000 across the state, with 10,000 of those jobs being created since 2010, according to Georgia Power’s 2016 Food Processing Industry Report.

It’s that strength in food processing, which comprises the largest segment of Georgia’s manufacturing sector, that led to the Georgia Manufacturing Extension Partnership’s (GaMEP) new initiative focused on those manufacturers’ unique needs.

GaMEP, a federally funded economic development program at the Georgia Institute of Technology’s Enterprise Innovation Institute, works with manufacturers across Georgia to help them remain viable and economically competitive.

“Food processing comprises many different products and sizes of manufacturers and it is important to assure their viability and growth,” said GaMEP Director Karen Fite. “This effort is in recognition of where the growth is occurring in the manufacturing sector and we want to make sure we’re applying our resources and expertise, as well as cutting edge research coming out of Georgia Tech, that can help our manufacturers.”

Damon C. Nix, GaMEP’s senior project manager, is leading the food manufacturing programming, which includes coaching, analysis, and consulting in:

  • Food Safety
    • Compliance with the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) new Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) requirements.
    • Management system implementation and audit team support.
  • Energy Management
    • Energy assessments to identify cost reduction and performance improvement opportunities.
    • Companies with fewer than 500 employees at a plant site may qualify for a free energy assessment through Georgia Tech’s Industrial Assessment Center program.
  • Environmental Services
    • Environmental compliance services and management system (ISO 14001) support.
    • Environmental Protection Agency P2 grant-funded projects that support pollution prevention through reduced greenhouse gas emissions, water usage, and hazardous materials generation.
  • Worker Safety and Health
    • Implement lean/process improvement approaches to safety problem solving.
    • Partner with the Georgia Tech Research Institute’s Food Processing Technology Division to support Occupational Safety and Health Administration rules compliance, applied research, and technology solutions.
  • Workforce Development
    • Operational Leader and Frontline Supervisor Training.

“Georgia’s food processing GDP ranks it sixth in the country and we rank sixth in employment,” Nix said, noting the state has roughly 680 food processing manufacturers, including the 127 that either relocated to Georgia or built new facilities here since 2010.

“The GaMEP has created significant results serving manufacturers overall,” Nix said. “We want to continue that momentum in food processing. Georgia’s manufacturing industry remains competitive and continues to grow because the food processing industry is expanding. We want food processors to know that the GaMEP is a resource to support their continued growth.”

About the Georgia Manufacturing Extension Partnership (GaMEP):

The Georgia Manufacturing Extension Partnership (GaMEP) is an economic development program of the Enterprise Innovation Institute at the Georgia Institute of Technology. The GaMEP is a member of the National MEP network supported by the National Institute of Standards and Technology. With offices in nine regions across the state, the GaMEP has been serving Georgia manufacturers since 1960. It offers a solution-based approach to manufacturers through coaching and education designed to increase top line growth and reduce bottom line cost.

Source: http://www.news.gatech.edu/2017/08/23/georgia-manufacturing-extension-partnership-launches-outreach-initiative-food-processing

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