innovation | The Contracting Education Academy

April 21, 2020 By cs

OMB releases guidance to clarify coronavirus relief act’s contracting provisions

On Friday, April 17 the Trump administration released guidance to clarify how and when agencies can reimburse contractors as outlined in the recently enacted novel coronavirus economic relief legislation.

**Click on image above to download OMB Memorandum M-20-22.**

The Office of Management and Budget published a memo to supplement Section 3610 of the $2.2 trillion CARES Act, which allows federal agencies to use their funds to give contractors sick or paid leave during the pandemic if they are not able to access their worksites or telework. Although the administration advised agencies to “maximize telework” for contractors, that is not possible for many contractor jobs, including some involving sensitive or classified work. Trade associations that represent federal contractors previously welcomed this provision, but then asked for more clarification.

For applicable contractors, agencies can “modify the terms and conditions of a contract, or other agreement” to “reimburse at the minimum applicable contract billing rates” up to an “average of 40 hours per week [for] any paid leave (including sick leave) a contractor provides to keep its employees or subcontractors in a ready state,” according to the legislation. The new guidance says agencies can use their funds to reimburse contractors from the period of March 27 (when the CARE Act was signed) to September 30, 2020. Initially, the bill did not give a start date.

Additionally, the Office of Federal Procurement Policy within OMB “has developed [the] guidance to help agencies make rational business decisions that balance the need for contractor resiliency with the need for good stewardship,” Michael Wooten, OFPP administrator, told Government Executive on Friday. This includes being mindful of the challenges small businesses face and helping contractors secure the correct documentation they need for reimbursement.

Keep reading this article at: https://www.nextgov.com/cio-briefing/2020/04/trump-administration-releases-guidance-clarify-coronavirus-relief-acts-contracting-provisions/164729/

The Contracting Education Academy at Georgia Tech has established a webpage where all contract-related developments related to the coronavirus (COVID-19) are summarized. Find the page at: https://contractingacademy.gatech.edu/coronavirus-information-for-contracting-officers-and-contractors/

April 20, 2020 By cs

Newest DoD industry guidance clarifies repayments, makes prototyping easier

As part of its ongoing effort to bolster the defense industrial base, the Pentagon has issued two new pieces of guidance — one focused on workers, and one focused on prototype contracts.

Overall, the department has now issued 17 different actions, ranging from basic guidance for industry to memos changing how the department pays contractors, since March 5.

In an April 6 memo, acquisition head Ellen Lord changed the rules for issuing prototype contracts through other transaction authorities.

OTAs are small contracts awarded to companies of any size, in theory targeted at nontraditional defense contractors, with the purpose of conducting research or prototype efforts on a specific project; they are not subject to Federal Acquisition Regulation rules. By comparison, SBIR contracts are targeted at small businesses in order to act as seed money for them to conduct research and development efforts; they are subject to the FAR rules.

Keep reading this article at: https://www.defensenews.com/coronavirus/2020/04/09/newest-dod-industry-guidance-clarifies-repayments-makes-prototyping-easier/

April 17, 2020 By cs

Homeland Security will use a new procurement pilot program to fight COVID-19

The Department of Homeland Security announced April 9 that it will use a recently established pilot program to procure innovative tools to assist in its fight against the new coronavirus.

The new effort comes on the heels of an April 1 announcement from DHS chief procurement officer Soraya Correa, who said the department will set up a Procurement & Acquisition Innovation Response team to handle the influx of industry inquiries looking to help the department with its response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The effort will involve DHS’ Commercial Solutions Opening Pilot program, established by the fiscal 2017 defense policy law and kicked off in 2019, which allows DHS to procure new commercial technologies at a faster and more efficient rate.

The department’s needs are broad, ranging from handling the shortage of personal protective equipment to converting logistics operations to support its pandemic response.

Keep reading this article at: https://www.fifthdomain.com/govcon/contracting/2020/04/10/homeland-security-will-use-a-new-procurement-pilot-program-to-fight-covid-19/

April 13, 2020 By cs

Pentagon seeks innovative commercial tech to address COVID-19 pandemic

The U.S. Air Force — on behalf of the Defense Department — is looking outside the military for innovative commercial technology, processes, methods and research that could address the national crisis posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

On April 6, the Air Force Acquisition COVID-19 Task Force issued a solicitation for new technologies to address seven mission areas:

combating the COVID-19 spread;
welfare of citizens;
readiness;
logistics;
industrial base impacts;
medical; and
other areas that support the national response to the pandemic.

The Air Force seeks those technologies under the Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment Joint Acquisition Task Force, which was launched last month to “synchronize and support the acquisition” of the Defense Department’s response for COVID-19 resources.

Keep reading this article at: https://www.nextgov.com/emerging-tech/2020/04/pentagon-seeks-innovative-commercial-tech-address-covid-19-pandemic/164435/

March 2, 2020 By cs

U.S. Space Force chief tours Tech

A daylong tour of Georgia Tech on Feb. 24 introduced General John Raymond to some “next-gen thinking” that he might find helpful in his latest assignment.

**General John Raymond told Georgia Tech students and faculty that there is a great need for not only technical innovation, but also breakthroughs in space policy.**

The recently named chief of Space Operations for the United States Space Force spent the day talking space exploration and space policy with faculty, researchers, and students from the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs; the Center for International Strategy, Technology, and Policy; and the Daniel Guggenheim School of Aerospace Engineering.

He capped off the day with a lecture, “Space as a Warfighting Domain,” delivered before a packed audience in the Kendeda Building for Innovative Sustainable Design.

“There is nothing we do in the Joint Forces that isn’t related to space,” he told listeners before giving a brief history of the military’s space engagement. “Our adversaries have been watching what we do in space, wanting to disrupt us, and our job is to make sure that never happens.”

Raymond ended by encouraging the next generation of innovators in the audience to study hard and work even harder. The Space Force may be in their future. After all, when he was in college, Raymond said, he didn’t touch a computer until his junior or senior year.

“It’s an exciting time to be in this business. I wish I could change places with you. Don’t be bashful. You have a skill set that, when you graduate and are hired, whatever you do, you can help this country.”

Space as a Laboratory: The Daniel Guggenheim School

Raymond’s visit to the Guggenheim School introduced him to research on a broad array of projects – from optimized space mission operations to space situational awareness and alternatives to GPS navigation.

“The AE School has a strong, historical relationship with the military,” said William R.T. Oakes School Chair Mark Costello. “We are thrilled to welcome General Raymond to campus and are excited about digging into the challenges that the Space Force will put before us.”

Much of Costello’s conversation with Raymond revolved around CubeSats – the miniaturized satellites that are now routinely launched into space via traditional two-stage rockets.

By October of 2020, the AE School will have launched seven student-built CubeSats, each with unique scientific and technological missions. One of them, ORCA, will be launched in March to calibrate ground-based orbital and positioning equipment from space. Students in the Space Systems Design Lab (SSDL) designed it in just six weeks, after a launch spot was unexpectedly offered to them last November.

“They spent pretty much every waking moment during winter break working on it,” said Professor Brian Gunter.

“The great thing about our lab is that our undergraduate researchers are primary participants in these launches – designing the vehicles, building the circuit boards, 3D-printing the thrusters. They learn to take an idea from the beginning and follow it through with all of the complexities that unfold.”

Throughout his lab tour, Raymond was noticeably engaged in each presentation, stopping speakers to mine them for additional technical details. Prof. E. Glenn Lightsey, the SSDL director, applauded his keen interest in the field and in the future.

“We want space to become an active, vibrant environment, but as that happens, we will need to think about how to protect our assets in space. And we will also need to think about how to regulate safety; right now, there are no rules about how to fly. The Space Force can transform the way we see both of these things.”

Keeping Pace with the Need for Policy Innovation: The Sam Nunn School

Raymond later visited with students and faculty from the Nunn School for policy-oriented discussions that ran the gamut — from the complexities of creating the unique warfighting culture of a new service branch to what constitutes unacceptable aggression in space.

Raymond said the need is great for not only technical innovation, but also breakthroughs in space policy, an area he said currently resembles the “Wild Wild West.”

He told students that enormous opportunities are waiting for people like them in the space sector, whether it be military, civilian, or government spaceflight programs.

“When you graduate from here, know that you’re good enough to do whatever you want to do,” he said.

Mariel Borowitz, an assistant professor of space policy in the Nunn School, helped organize the visit and said she hopes it will lead to relationships that can help Georgia Tech play a role in the success of the Space Force.

Among other initiatives, the Nunn School and the Guggenheim School are partnering to develop a joint graduate certificate program in international security and aerospace systems. The Nunn School also is a participant in the Center for Space Technology and Research.

“The Space Force is going to need people who understand the strategic implications of operating in a contested space environment, and this is the type of issue that Nunn School faculty and students are well equipped to do,” she said.

Source: https://www.news.gatech.edu/2020/02/25/us-space-force-chief-tours-tech