Georgia Tech Procurement Assistance Center

GSA launches pilot for small business research program

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The General Services Administration (GSA) has announced that it would be moving forward with a new pilot program to manage and grant awards under the third phase of the Small Business Innovation Research program, which encourages small businesses to explore research and development with federal partners.

Phases one and two of the program focus on the actual research and development, while the third phase is designed to help small businesses pursue the commercialization of the products they developed in the first two phases.

“Helping small businesses commercialize new solutions developed with assistance from the SBIR program increases the return on investment from federal research and development funding and supports private sector job growth,” said Small Business Administration Administrator Linda McMahon in a news release.

“The SBA looks forward to working with GSA to encourage the entrepreneurship and innovation associated with the SBIR program and continuing SBA’s efforts to impact the growth of our nation’s small businesses.”

Keep reading this article at: https://www.federaltimes.com/acquisition/2018/07/30/gsa-launches-pilot-for-small-business-research-program/

DoD’s R&D fund sponsors free online training

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The Department of Defense’s SBIR/STTR Program Office has put together an on-line training program catalogue for small businesses for the year.

Small businesses — who are pursuing projects with potential for commercialization and which match-up with specific U.S. Government research and development (R&D) needs — should look into the SBIR/STTR program.

Upcoming SBIR/STTR webinar topics are listed below, along with dates and training registration links.  All are offered free of charge.

  1. How to Use the DOD SBIR/STTR Submission Site / Important Proposal Considerations / Using SITIS – May 24, 2018 – http://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/4302495/Registration-Site
  2. Managing Intellectual Property – Important Business Considerations for Commercialization – June 5, 2018 – http://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/4302495/Registration-Site
  3. Understanding the Evaluation Process / What to Do with a Debrief – June 26, 2018 – http://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/4302495/Registration-Site 
  4. Working with Prime Contractors – July 17, 2018 – http://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/4302495/Registration-Site 
  5. The DOD Acquisition Process / Contracting – August 1, 2018 – http://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/4302495/Registration-Site
  6. Commercialization Assistance Programs and Beyond Phase II Considerations – September 4, 2018 – http://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/4302495/Registration-Site
  7. Manufacturing / Working with MIBP – September 18, 2018 – http://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/4302495/Registration-Site
  8. Testing and Evaluation – October 9, 2018 – http://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/4302495/Registration-Site 
  9. Phase III Process – How to Identify Non-SBIR – October 30, 2018 – http://bit.ly/PIIIprocess 

For more information about the SBIR/STTR programs, visit https://www.sbir.gov/about/about-sttr.

6 companies score $258 million in supercomputing contracts

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The Energy Department is investing hundreds of millions of dollars in researching powerful but energy-efficient computers.

The department is awarding $258 million in research contracts to six companies developing supercomputing technology. Over the next three years, those companies are expected to build out the hardware, software and applications for an exascale computing system 50 times faster than today’s most powerful computers, according to the Energy Department. The department is aiming to have one exascale system by 2021.

IBM, Intel, Hewlett-Packard, Advanced Micro Devices, Cray Inc. and NVIDIA were awarded research contracts and are expected to invest hundreds of millions of dollars of their own money, bringing the total cost of the project to about $430 million.

Keep reading this article at: http://www.nextgov.com/emerging-tech/2017/06/6-companies-score-258m-supercomputing-contracts/138769

Subcontractor outreach event to be held in Augusta May 9th for Georgia Cyber Innovation & Training Center

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The Augusta Metro Chamber of Commerce is hosting an event on Tuesday, May 9, 2017, to encourage local, small, and disadvantaged business enterprises to participate in second-tier contracting opportunities associated with the construction of the Georgia Cyber Innovation and Training Center.

Project Overview

The Georgia Cyber Innovation and Training Center will be a state-owned multi-story facility designed to promote modernization in cybersecurity technology for private and public industries through unique education, training, research, and practical applications.  The construction of the center will include a 150,000 square-foot building and adjacent multi-level parking structure.  The estimated cost for both facility and parking structure is $62 million.  The center will enhance American cybersecurity in both the public and private sectors and serve as an incubator for start-up cybersecurity companies. It will also focus on research and development, tapping into the assets of Georgia’s research institutions.

The Georgia Cyber Innovation and Training Center will be a state-owned facility designed to promote modernization in cybersecurity technology for private and public industries through unique education, training, research, and practical applications. It will be housed in a 150,000-square-foot facility to be built near Fort Gordon in Augusta. Fort Gordon is home to the U.S. Army Cyber Command, the U.S. Army Cyber Center of Excellence, and the National Security Agency.

Work Available for Subcontracting

A partial list of scopes of work include, but is not limited to:  soil treatment; concrete (site work, building, landscaping & irrigation); masonry; cabinetry; waterproofing; caulking & sealants; roofing; doors; frames & hardware; drywall & acoustical; flooring; painting; access flooring; toilet partitions & accessories; fire extinguishers and cabinets; residential appliances; and window treatments. 

Construction Oversight

The Georgia Technology Authority (GTA) will oversee construction and operation of the training center. Groundbreaking for the Georgia Cyber Innovation and Training Center is scheduled for spring 2017, with the opening to follow in July 2018. 

Outreach Event time, Date and Location

The subcontractor outreach event will take place at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, May 9, 2017 at the Augusta Metro Chamber of Commerce, One Tenth Street, Suite 120, Augusta, GA 30901

Subcontractor Qualifications and Further Information

Contact Jared Hardy, Senior Project Manager, New South Construction, at (404) 443-4000 (W), or (404) 427-5250 (M).  If you prefer email, Jared can be contacted at jhardy@newsouthconstruction.com

 

Problems abound with DoD’s proposed rule on independent R&D

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On November 4, 2016, the Department of Defense (DoD) proposed a new rule applicable to major defense contractors who expect to use future independent research and development (IRAD) to perform DoD contracts.

The proposed rule requires DoD agencies to assign an evaluation cost penalty to the proposed price of any contractor expecting to receive reimbursement from the United States Government for any future IRAD expenses through its indirect cost rates.

Comments on the proposed rule were due on February 2, 2017.  For the reasons described in this entry, we think this rule is illogical and misguided, and we hope the DoD will retract the rule or substantially revise it as a result of the comments it receives.

The proposed rule is antithetical to policy considerations favoring IRAD as a valid and valuable component of a contractor’s indirect costs, purposes strongly endorsed by Congress recently in the National Defense Authorization Act of 2017 (2017 NDAA) enacted on December 23, 2016.  The proposed rule also would add more complexity to a proposal evaluation process already freighted with rules intended to further social policy goals – sometimes at the expense of rational, price-based proposal evaluation.

Keep reading this article at: http://www.mondaq.com/unitedstates/x/569628/Government+Contracts+Procurement+PPP/Problems+Abound+With+DODs+Proposed+IRAD+Rule

DoD reassures major contractors it’s not returning to old IR&D practices, but significant questions still remain

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AT&LOn January 4, 2017, the Department of Defense’s top acquisition official issued a memorandum further clarifying the implementation of a November 2016 final rule concerning the reimbursement of major contractors’ Independent Research & Development (“IR&D”) costs.  In a move likely intended to reassure major defense contractors, Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology & Logistics, Frank Kendall, stressed that the recent final rule “merely codifies a long standing practice” used by contractors.  Mr. Kendall also emphasized that DoD does not require major contractors to obtain formal or “de facto” approval of IR&D projects before incurring such costs.

But while DoD’s efforts to comfort industry are commendable, some key questions remain, including most prominently: whether and how DoD auditors will utilize the results of pre-IR&D “technical interchange” meetings to question the allowability of IR&D costs.

The memorandum is just the latest in a series of communications from DoD on the allowability of IR&D costs. As previously discussed here, DoD issued a white paper in August 2015 signaling that a significant overhaul of the IR&D regulations may be on the horizon.  The white paper established a goal of requiring that contractors engage with “appropriate technical operational staff” prior to incurring IR&D costs.  Moreover, and perhaps most alarming for contractors, the white paper indicated that the Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA) and the Defense Contract Auditing Agency (DCAA) would use information shared during the required “technical interchange” meetings to make allowability determinations for IR&D costs.  The views expressed in the white paper harkened back to the Technical Evaluation Group and Tri-Service Negotiation Group approval process of the 1980s – when these groups assessed the quality, reasonableness, and potential military relationship of each IR&D project before the project costs could be considered allowable.  This process was abandoned in the late 1990s in favor of increased autonomy for contractors in choosing IR&D projects.

Keep reading this article at: https://www.insidegovernmentcontracts.com/2017/01/dod-reassures-major-contractors-not-returning-old-ird-practices-significant-questions-still-remain/

Haven’t sold to the Government before? DARPA might buy your tech

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darpaIn the past, companies that had never sold to the government found it difficult to prove their qualifications to federal buyers.

Today, several agencies are trying to eliminate experience requirements, part of a deliberate effort to acquire cutting-edge technology from commercial companies that have, until now, avoided the federal marketplace.

The Pentagon’s research and development agency is one prominent example: the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s Microsystems Technology Office is introducing a “simpler contracting approach” for companies that haven’t sold to DARPA and haven’t won large Pentagon contracts, according to a recent announcement.

That initiative is supposed to help the agency connect with companies specializing in machine learning, sensors, hardware security and other technology that draws both commercial and government buyers, according to DARPA.

Keep reading this article at: http://www.nextgov.com/cio-briefing/2016/10/havent-sold-government-darpa-still-might-buy-your-tech/132203

SBA offers tutorials for seeking federal R&D funding

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PrintThe U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has released Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) online tutorials to help small businesses navigate the SBIR program.

Mobile-compatible, the tutorial site represents an opportunity to learn about the federal government’s SBIR program through a combination of videos and text.

There is no registration or fee required and the courses are open to all.

The SBIR and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs, also called “America’s Seed Fund,” inject $2.5 billion every year into small, innovative and nimble firms across the nation. The mission of each program is to support research and development (R&D) in technical areas that align with the federal government’s priorities.  Currently, there are 11 federal agencies that support SBIR/STTR programs.

With 52 modules housed within 10 courses, the SBA’s new tutorial platform addresses topics relevant to small businesses that are new to the SBIR/STTR programs as well as companies that have previously received SBIR funding.  Topics include:

  • Agency differences
  • Registration requirements
  • SBIR proposal preparation
  • SBIR data rights
  • Accounting requirements
  • Finding partners

Tools, resources, links and quizzes accompany each tutorial to help users navigate the process of applying for and winning federal awards.

To find out more about SBA’s Online Tutorials, or to begin your learning experience, visit www.sbir.gov/tutorials.

9 service branches and agencies invite small businesses to propose innovative solutions

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PrintThe Missile Defense Agency (MDA), the Army, the Navy, the Air Force, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), the Defense Microelectronics Activity (DMEA), the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA), and the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) are inviting small businesses to propose innovative solutions as a part of the latest Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) solicitations.

The SBIR/STTR solicitations are now open for a pre-release time period.  During the pre-release period proposing firms have an opportunity to contact topic authors by telephone or e-mail to ask technical questions about specific topics.

For the STTR offering, the Navy and the DMEA are inviting small businesses and research institutions to jointly propose cooperative research and development efforts.

The SBIR program was established by Congress in 1982 to fund research and development (R&D) by U.S. owned and operated businesses of less than 500 employees.  SBIR, the nation’s largest source of early-stage technology financing, is administered by the Small Business Administration (SBA) through 11 federal agencies and is funded at more than $2 billion annually. The DoD accounts for more than half of the federal government’s total SBIR/STTR program.  The STTR program enacted by Congress in 1992, similar in structure to SBIR, provides early-stage R&D funding directly to small companies working cooperatively with researchers at universities and other research institutions.

Use this link below to access the current open solicitations and search the available topics:  https://sbir.defensebusiness.org/topics.  Topic descriptions and instructions are available in HTML, PDF, and WORD formats.

IMPORTANT DATES and DEADLINES:

  • April 22, 2016:  Pre-Release solicitation opens
  • May 23, 2016:   Solicitation opens for submission of SBIR and STTR proposals.
  • June 22. 2016:  Solicitation closes to receipt of proposals at 6:00 AM ET-plan ahead and submit early.

Once DoD begins accepting proposals on May 23, no further direct contact between proposers and topic authors is allowed, but proposers may submit written questions through the SBIR/STTR Interactive Topic Information System (SITIS), in which the  questioner and respondent remain anonymous and all questions and answers are posted electronically for general viewing.

Quick Links:

MDA SBIR/STTR

DoD SBIR/STTR

SBA SBIR/STTR

Where DoD’s R&D funds would go in 2017

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US DoD logoThe Defense Department (DoD) has put a lot of emphasis lately on the importance of cyberspace, electronic warfare and new technologies, and that emphasis is reflected in its 2017 budget request for research and development (R&D).

DoD as a whole is asking for $72 billion in R&D to, in Defense Secretary Ashton Carter’s words, “make sure that we retain the qualitative edge in capabilities — advanced capabilities.”  He mentioned, specifically by name, “undersea capabilities, electronic warfare, space, cyber, new kinds of strike systems, increasing the lethality of our fleet of aircraft and … ships, and so forth.”

The individual service branches also are investing in R&D in those areas, according to budget documents released recently.

Keep reading this article at: https://defensesystems.com/articles/2016/02/18/dod-research-development-spending-2017.aspx

 

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