Proprietary | The Contracting Education Academy

May 13, 2016 By cs

Issue is speed — not cost — of technology acquisition

Speed of acquiring new technology – rather than lowering cost – is the driving force behind U.S. military acquisition reform, a panel of defense spending experts said Monday.

Speaking at the Center for International and Strategic Studies (CSIS), a Washington, D.C., think tank, William LaPlante, a vice president at Mitre and a former senior U.S. Air Force acquisition official, said the hurdle now is not really cost, but speed.

“If you’re going to fail, fail early” and build in true modularity in the systems — like the Gerald R. Ford carriers (CVN-78). LaPlante said this would be a big step away from the proprietary hardware, software and interfaces called for in existing programs.

Katherine Blakeley, of the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessment, said, the three concerns in defense spending still come down to: What are you getting, how much is it going to cost and when are you getting it. But speed of delivery is taking on new importance as threats change.

Keep reading this article at: https://news.usni.org/2016/04/25/csis-panel-speed-not-cost-is-key-question-in-defense-acquisition-reform

December 10, 2014 By cs

Pentagon may be forced to release aircraft manufacturer’s contract data

A little-known unit at the Defense Department may have to release data considered proprietary by a major contractor under a Nov. 23 district court ruling favoring a small business advocacy group.

The Petaluma, Calif.-based American Small Business League on Wednesday announced its legal victory. A northern California district judge agreed that the Pentagon should honor the league’s request under the Freedom of Information Act for data Sikorsky submitted to the Comprehensive Subcontracting Plan Test Program.

That program since 1990 has authorized negotiation, administration and reporting of subcontracting plans on a plant, division or company-wide basis to “determine whether comprehensive subcontracting plans will result in increased subcontracting opportunities for small business while reducing the administrative burden on contractors,” according to the Pentagon website.

Keep reading this article at: http://www.govexec.com/contracting/2014/12/pentagon-may-be-forced-release-aircraft-manufacturers-contract-data/100175/

April 9, 2013 By cs

Hacked U.S. tech contractors oppose anti-China procurement law

Technology contractors are warning Congress that a new counter-cyber spy law will leave agencies even more vulnerable to breaches by slowing the purchase of security systems to screen for Chinese-made components.

It might seem counterintuitive for companies allegedly robbed of proprietary designs by Chinese hackers to oppose protections. And it’s worth noting that information technology businesses generally are reluctant to publicly accuse China of hacking, partly because they have Chinese customers.

But the firms say discriminating against China could encourage retaliation and additional federal security audits could prevent the timely installation of safe network controls.

Keep reading this article at: http://www.nextgov.com/cybersecurity/2013/04/hacked-us-tech-contractors-oppose-anti-china-procurement-law/62316/?oref=nextgov_today_nl

Speed of acquiring new technology – rather than lowering cost – is the driving force behind U.S. military acquisition reform, a panel of defense spending experts said Monday.

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