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GovCon Index Ends November With Positive & Negative Trends
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GovCon Index Ends November With Positive & Negative Trends

Executive Mosaic’s GovCon Index ended in the green for the week of Thanksgiving, increasing 0.5% to lift its average to $5,203.60. 

GovCon Index is a tool that records stock market data from 30 key government contracting organizations in real-time. This information allows site visitors to gain insights into each company’s financial status and provides a look into the foremost trends shaping the GovCon landscape. 

Although the GovCon Index ended positively for the last period of November, the index still sustained its third straight monthly loss. Potential policy changes throughout government contracting under the incoming administration are seen as a potential culprit for the substantial decline in GCI defense stocks.

GCI’s Mixed End-of-Month Results

With November’s highs and lows, the GovCon Index recorded its best and worst weekly performance during the month.

GCI’s 2024 top performer, Palantir Technologies, notched a 61.4% gain in November, ending the month with an average of $67.08. Market analysts think Palantir’s artificial intelligence platform has fueled the company’s continued growth.   

Boeing came in second place to Palantir after recording an 8.39% increase. BAE Systems had the worst performance of the period, declining 6.76% in five days and 4.22% on Friday.

To gain insight into daily GovCon Index trends and access the complete list of tracked companies, visit GovConIndex.com.

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FDIC Seeking Portfolio Investment Management System Proposals
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FDIC Seeking Portfolio Investment Management System Proposals

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. is soliciting proposals to provide a comprehensive cloud-based investment management system that will replace the existing Portfolio Reporting, Trading, and Investment Analysis system.

A notice recently posted on SAM.gov said the new cloud-based application, referred to as the Portfolio Investment Management System, or PIMS, must enable the FDIC to effectively manage cash and investments, review daily and historical pricing data of all securities held, and integrate with Bloomberg to obtain financial information, among other related business processes.

Specifications of the RFP

According to the PIMS statement of work, the selected contractor must provide a scalable and flexible commercial-off-the-shelf application that can be accessed from users’ authorized vDesks; professional services for system implementation, including application stand-up, configurations, data migration from legacy systems, application testing and user documentation; and hosting and operations, maintenance and enhancements for the new system.

The FDIC requires the PIMS to integrate security and privacy controls compliant with related federal laws, regulations, policies and standards.

Interested companies have until Dec. 9 to submit questions to the FDIC and until Jan. 3 to send their proposals.

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OMB Guidance Seeks to Help Improve Federal Procurement Forecasts
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OMB Guidance Seeks to Help Improve Federal Procurement Forecasts

The Office of Management and Budget has released new guidance for federal agencies to strengthen procurement forecasts.

Priorities to Strengthen Procurement Forecasts

In a memorandum published Friday, OMB said agencies should improve forecast content quality by establishing a standardized set of data elements, improve timeliness of forecast information and enhance access to forecasts by making forecast data available through a centralized view.

According to OMB, a public crowdsourcing campaign carried out by the Office of Federal Procurement Policy has helped inform such priorities. OFPP worked with hundreds of small businesses and large companies to better understand the needs of vendors.

The document was signed by Christine Harada, senior adviser at OFPP who currently performs the duties of administrator for federal procurement policy.

Agency Responsibilities

Within three months of guidance’s release, agencies should designate a forecasting lead to serve as the primary point of contact for agency onboarding, compliance and resolution of forecast data issues as well as work with the General Services Administration’s Forecast of Contracting Opportunities team to schedule agency onboarding into the FCO tool.

By the end of the third quarter of fiscal year 2025, agencies should update tools, policies and processes to capture the required core data elements of the management guidance.

They should establish the procedures and processes needed to gather and report forecasts on a quarterly basis by the end of the first quarter of FY 2026.

Agencies should also ensure forecasts are fully available on GSA’s FCO tool and take measures to ensure all data is consistent across existing tools by the end of the third quarter of FY 2026.

What Is the FCO Tool?

FCO is a forecasting platform hosted on AcquisitionGateway.gov. It enables potential offerors to evaluate forecast information from any federal agency that shares its information on the website.

To advance a centralized view of forecasting opportunities, agencies may choose to either use the FCO as their forecasting tool or use their own platform and upload their standardized forecasting information to the FCO.

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Pentagon Issues New Directive on Military Intelligence Program
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Pentagon Issues New Directive on Military Intelligence Program

The Department of Defense has issued a new directive establishing policy and assigning responsibilities for the Military Intelligence Program, or MIP.

The updated DOD directive issued by the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security took effect Wednesday, Nov. 27, and was approved by Deputy DOD Secretary Kathleen Hicks.

The Defense Intelligence and Security Integration Council or other oversight organizations as directed by the defense under secretary for intelligence and security, or USD(I&S), will review MIP capabilities, resources and issues.

Decisions related to MIP planning, programming, budgeting and execution will reflect all elements of guidance documents issued by Congress, the Office of Secretary of Defense, the Office of Management and Budget and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.

Responsibilities of DOD Officials

The USD(I&S) will serve as the MIP executive, provide MIP oversight for DOD intelligence, counterintelligence and intelligence-related activities through a structured business process and approve proposed resource changes affecting MIP programs, capabilities and projects through the PPBE process, among other functions.

The document also outlines the responsibilities of the director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, the heads of the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency and Defense Information Systems Agency, secretaries of military departments, commander of U.S. Cyber Command and the head of U.S. Special Operations Command.

The DIA director, for instance, should prepare programmatic guidance, oversee annual program budget development for combatant command intelligence directorates and joint intelligence operations centers capabilities and activities and coordinate annual budget requests for MIP resources.

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DLA Exploring Use of Digital Twins for OT Systems Security
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DLA Exploring Use of Digital Twins for OT Systems Security

The Defense Logistics Agency is integrating artificial intelligence and zero trust into cyber digital twins to help protect operational technology systems from cyberattacks through two Phase 1 contracts under the Small Business Innovation Research program.

DLA said Wednesday the first SBIR contract, which concluded in September, integrated AI into the cyber digital twins to help detect anomalies associated with potential cyberthreats.

“By continuously analyzing this operational data, AI can recognize deviations and alert DLA personnel to unusual activities that may suggest a cyberattack in real time,” said Barry Humphrey, Logistics Technology Research program manager at DLA.

Under the second contract, DLA is combining zero trust with cyber digital twins to mitigate unauthorized data access and improve the overall security of OT systems. This SBIR contract is expected to be completed by September 2025.

“The insights we learn from cyber digital twins can help DLA continuously strengthen security measures for the agency and our partners,” Humphrey noted. “This helps us build a more resilient cybersecurity posture.”

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State Department OKs TECRO’s Potential $65M FMS Deal for IMSE
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State Department OKs TECRO’s Potential $65M FMS Deal for IMSE

The State Department has approved the foreign military sale request of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office, or TECRO, for Improved Mobile Subscriber Equipment, a.k.a. IMSE, follow-on support and related items.

TECRO’s IMSE Contract Scope

The Defense Security Cooperation Agency said Friday the proposed deal is valued at an estimated $65 million with General Dynamics Mission Systems as the principal contractor. The agency had already notified Congress of the possible sale.

Under the potential sale, the TECRO office in the United States will procure an additional two years of support services previously provided under an initial $41.6 million FMS, which included follow-on support for the IMSE and Experimental Force, or EXFOR, system. This involved repair and return of equipment, management services, replacement and repair services, contract engineering and technical support, logistics and U.S. government liaison support.

Furthermore, the proposed deal covers contractor operation and management of the depot, which is outside of the contiguous United States. This includes repair and replacement and other related elements of logistics and program support.

The FMS request is intended to strengthen relations between the U.S. and Taiwan. The latter also expects the proposed sale to modernize its armed forces and enhance its national security, political stability, military balance and economic growth.

The potential deal will require three contractor Technical Assistance Representatives to be assigned in Taiwan to supervise equipment fielding and training.

TECRO’s F-16 Spare Parts and Support FMS

In another FMS request, TECRO asked to purchase spare parts and support for F-16 aircraft and active electronically scanned array radars and related equipment valued at an estimated cost of $320 million and expected to be delivered starting in 2025.

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DCSA to Handle DOD Security Review Process
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DCSA to Handle DOD Security Review Process

The office of the under secretary of defense for intelligence and security has directed the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency to handle the due process and appeals on security review proceedings for access to Sensitive Compartmented Information, or SCI, from the Department of Defense. The agency’s SCI adjudication process, effective starting Dec. 8, will cover contractor personnel, military service members and DOD civilians, DSCA said Wednesday.

Cleared contractor personnel already verified for confidential, secret and top secret collateral access eligibility are not covered by the new process, the agency added.

Transparency & Courtesy Goals

The DSCA’s security review implements the DOD reforms for the protection of classified national security information. The changes are based on an ongoing transformation of the department’s personnel security review protocols on determining access eligibility to classified information or holding a national security position. The efforts are designed with an eye toward transparency, personal focus and courtesy in the adjudication process. 

With the reforms’ effectivity, recipients of letters of intent to reject or revoke their SCI access eligibility will retain the opportunity to submit a written response and appeal personally before DCSA takes action. 

In April 2023, Lloyd Austin, defense secretary and Wash100 awardee, issued a memorandum directing DOD component agencies to immediately assess their compliance with the department’s procedures and standards for protecting classified national security information and report their findings to the office of the under secretary of defense for intelligence and security for appropriate action.

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NRO to Boost Space ISR Capabilities Further in 5th Mission
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NRO to Boost Space ISR Capabilities Further in 5th Mission

The space-based intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities of the National Reconnaissance Office continue to grow with the launch of its NROL-126 mission aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on Friday. The mission, which took off from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, is also a partnership with the U.S. Space Force’s Space Launch Delta 30, NRO said.  

NROL-126 is the fifth launch under the NRO’s proliferated architecture, described as the U.S. government’s largest constellation in history. It followed the NROL-167 mission sent into orbit on Oct. 24, positioning the proliferated architecture program for about six launches in 2024 and further missions toward 2028. According to NRO, the program’s next-generation ISR systems will help accelerate the delivery of the right data to the right user. 

Commercial Players in the Mix

Commercial space companies have also been venturing into connectivity services on ISR communications for governments and militaries worldwide. In October, the NRO’s Office of Space Launch awarded Cognitive Space, Impulse Space and Starfish Space separate contracts to assess and evaluate advanced space technologies that can solve critical intelligence problems.

On a similar track, Viasat announced in July its Air-IQ offering that provides real-time intelligence access with uplink data transfer speeds of up to 10 megabits per second for improved situational awareness.

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Cyber Command Leader Talks Military, Academia Collaboration
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Cyber Command Leader Talks Military, Academia Collaboration

Lt. Gen. William Hartman, deputy commander of the U.S. Cyber Command, delivered a keynote address at the University of Wisconsin-Madison on Nov. 21 and stressed the need for collaboration between government, academia and industry.

The Cyber Command said Thursday Hartman spoke at the first-ever USCYBERCOM Tech Talk and commended UW-Madison for its work on advancing cyber education and its involvement in the command’s Academic Engagement Network. Hartman also emphasized the importance of partnerships in boosting cybersecurity during his speech.

What Is the Academic Engagement Network?

The AEN is a collaboration between the military and over 130 academic institutions that was launched by USCYBERCOM in 2022. It is intended to tackle cybersecurity challenges by narrowing the gap between military and academic research through faculty workshops, the Cyber Research and Education Conference—or Cyber RECon—and other initiatives.

Hartman pointed out the significance of ongoing research and development to defend against emerging cyber threats. He also reinforced the need for recruiting, training and retaining the workforce to stay up-to-date with emerging technologies.

“People and partnerships are the most important assets we have. The talent we are building today in schools like the University of Wisconsin-Madison will shape the future of our cybersecurity workforce,” said Hartman.

“We’re not only building partnerships, we’re building the next generation of cyber leaders,” Hartman added.

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Report on NITRD Budget Requests for FY2025 Released
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Report on NITRD Budget Requests for FY2025 Released

The Networking and Information Technology Research and Development Program announced Wednesday the National Science and Technology Council’s release of its Supplement to the President’s Fiscal Year 2025 Budget.

What Does the Report Cover?

Prepared in compliance with the High Performance Computing Act of 1991, the Supplement describes the R&D budget requests of NITRD committees and their efforts for FY2025 concerning high performance computing, IT and networking. The Supplement also discusses how the work of NITRD agencies support the administration’s science and technology priorities.

The document was also prepared in compliance with the National Artificial Intelligence Initiative Act of 2020, which calls for the reporting to Congress of budget and program information concerning NAIIA. Consequently, the document includes a summary of the budget from the preceding, current and upcoming fiscal years that would support the National AI Initiative.

What Is the NITRD Program?

The NITRD Program works to coordinate efforts by various federal agencies that tackle R&D needs, including those concerning advanced information technologies in computing, networking and software. The program was established by the HPC Act of 1991 and has been reauthorized and expanded by Congress three times since then, most recently via the 2017 American Innovation and Competitiveness Act.

The program invests about $11.2 billion annually in R&D. It involves over 100 member and participating agencies.

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