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Vectrus, Vertex Company Complete Merger to Form Global Mission Services Company V2X; CEO Chuck Prow Quoted
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Vectrus, Vertex Company Complete Merger to Form Global Mission Services Company V2X; CEO Chuck Prow Quoted

Vectrus has closed its transaction to merge with fellow defense and aerospace contractor the Vertex Company, together forming the new company V2X Inc.

The business combination is intended to yield an enterprise offering wide-ranging national security and technology modernization services to defense, civilian and international customers, the newly formed organization said Tuesday.

“We created a company with the scale and ability to compete for large integrated business opportunities by providing full life-cycle support across the converged environment,” commented Chuck Prow, the former CEO of Vectrus and eight-time Wash100 Award winner who is now CEO of V2X.

The converged environment Prow mentions is an element carried over from Vectrus that was introduced earlier this year. The concept aims to offer a unified physical and digital approach to address U.S. Department of Defense technological and operational needs. V2X’s team will perform services in operations and logistics, aerospace, training and technology.

The 11-member board of directors of V2X are populated by six Vectrus-appointed figures and five Vertex-assigned executives. Melvin Parker, Eric Pillmore, Chuck Prow, Stephen Waechter, Phillip Widman and Chairman Mary Howell are Vectrus’ instatements, while Vertex elected Ed Boyington, Dino Cusumano, Lee Evangelakos, Joel Rotroff and Neil Snyder.

V2X will inherit responsibilities such as the $250 million task order from the U.S. Army awarded to Vectrus for logistics support in February. Work under the contract will potentially extend through December 2026.

As a result of the merger’s finalization, prior Vertex stockholders now retain about 62 percent of V2X and past Vectrus investors own approximately 38 percent of the new company’s common stock. The transaction’s close moved 18.6 million shares of Vectrus common stock to Vertex shareholders. V2X’s stock will be traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol “VVX,” effective July 8.

Vectrus was financially advised by Goldman Sachs & Co., with additional advisement by Ernst & Young and Wolf Den Associates, while Vertex received financial appraisal from RBC Capital Markets, LLC and Evercore, with additional advisement from Fairmont Consulting Group.

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Robert Costello: CISA Poised to Secure Procurement Authority
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Robert Costello: CISA Poised to Secure Procurement Authority

Robert Costello, chief information officer at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, said CISA’s component acquisition executive is set to receive its initial procurement authority in early July and that the agency will operate with its own contract specialists, Federal News Network reported Monday.

“There’s a lot of work to do internally just on our own identity and culture,” Costello said. “Now we’re a component of equal rank to [the Transportation Security Administration] or CBP, so we’re developing our own culture here as well.”

According to CISA’s website, David Patrick, the agency’s chief acquisition executive, oversees the realignment of CISA’s procurement and acquisition initiatives and the transformation of the office of chief acquisition executive.

Budget documents indicate that CISA is seeking $6.2 million in funds for fiscal year 2023 to hire 50 personnel to form a procurement team within the office of the chief acquisition executive.

The new team will work with other CISA programs and divisions to help streamline procurement planning and implementation and identify and use existing contractual methodologies to meet the needs of end users, according to justification documents.

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Department of the Navy Holds Tabletop Exercise for Reducing Threat of Climate Change
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Department of the Navy Holds Tabletop Exercise for Reducing Threat of Climate Change

The Department of the Navy has conducted a tabletop exercise to prepare military and industry partners for the implementation of the recently released climate strategy.

DON said Wednesday war game experts at the Marine Corps Warfighting Lab created the scenario used in the Climate Tabletop Exercise held at Marine Barracks Washington to evaluate climate change impacts on warfighter readiness.

The scenario was sent in October 2030 when a typhoon disrupts an amphibious exercise between the Navy and a partner nation in the Western Indo-Pacific area of responsibility.

Representatives from the Department of Defense, Congress, federal agencies, think tanks, private companies and non-governmental organizations participated in the tabletop exercise to examine how to put the Climate Action 2030 into action.

The strategy, which was unveiled in May, is aimed at building a climate-ready force by reducing the threat of climate change on mission, readiness and warfighting capacity.

“The Navy and Marine Corps must address climate change in our readiness and operations in order to maintain every advantage to fight and win,” said Meredith Berger, assistant secretary of the Navy for energy, installations and environment.

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Tyler Technologies Justice, Public Safety Platforms Adopted by Central Ohio County
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Tyler Technologies Justice, Public Safety Platforms Adopted by Central Ohio County

Two Fairfield County, Ohio government institutions have selected public sector-serving software development company Tyler Technologies to install programs intended to streamline their information systems.

Fairfield County Probate and Juvenile Court has opted to utilize Tyler’s Enterprise Justice suite and the Fairfield County Sheriff’s Office has decided to operate Tyler’s Enterprise Public Safety suite, the Plano, Texas-based company said June 14.

“The [Fairfield County] courts and sheriff’s office are already doing impressive work serving their constituents, and we are excited to help them increase efficiency, improve processes, and help their staff focus on the most crucial tasks,” shared Rusty Smith, president of Tyler’s justice group.

The Columbus suburb’s sheriff’s office has elected to introduce programs from Tyler’s Enterprise Public Safety arsenal to establish a more functional streamlined workflow and functional dispersal of information throughout the department. The programs are designed to enable secure and precise resources for dispatchers, first responders and command staff while maintaining the office’s compliance with state and federal legislature.

Meanwhile, the company’s Enterprise Justice and Enterprise Supervision platforms will replace a legacy case management apparatus at the Probate and Juvenile Court that has aged out of its usefulness. With Tyler’s programs’ implementation, the court hopes to increase the effectiveness of its case management, render its daily functions more efficient and handle supervision protocols and pretrial procedures in a more economical fashion.

“Deploying the solutions in the cloud gives us the added benefits of less strain on our internal IT resources and knowing we’re always receiving the latest software updates,” explained Fairfield County Probate and Juvenile Court Judge Terre Vandervoort.

Tyler Technologies’ new agreement at these central Ohio locations marks the 11th Ohio county to take up the Enterprise Public Safety platform and the sixth Ohio court jurisdiction to embrace the Enterprise Justice programs.

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EUCOM Names Gen. Christopher Cavoli Commander; Lloyd Austin Quoted
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EUCOM Names Gen. Christopher Cavoli Commander; Lloyd Austin Quoted

Gen. Christopher Cavoli, former commanding general of the U.S. Army’s Europe and Africa divisions, has been sworn in to lead the U.S. European Command.

The new appointment was commemorated in a ceremony at Patch Barracks, Germany on Friday, where Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin passed the American flag from predecessor General Tod Wolters to Cavoli to symbolize the transition, USEUCOM said.

“General Cavoli is exceptionally well-prepared to further strengthen NATO’s posture on its Eastern Flank—and to help forge a truly 21st-century security architecture for Europe,” Austin effused.

Austin, who is a two-time recipient of the Wash100 Award, also expressed confidence in the timing of Cavoli’s instatement and in the viability of his skill set and experience.

Across his over three-decade military career, Cavoli has occupied posts such as director for Russia on the Joint Staff and Major General, with additional deployments in Bosnia and Afghanistan.

Cavoli has served as a foreign area officer fluent in Italian, Russian and French. He has garnered awards and recognitions such as the Army Distinguished Service Medal with one bronze oak leaf cluster, the Defense Superior Service Medal, the Legion of Merit with two oak leaf clusters and the Afghanistan Campaign Medal with three service stars.

The general has earned fellowships at National Defense University, the George C. Marshall Center for European Security Studies and the Army Chief of Staff’s Strategic Studies Group.

In succeeding Wolters as commander, Cavoli is inheriting a position that has endured a trying few years, a span including Russia’s unsubstantiated invasion of Ukraine as well as Operation Allies Refuge/Welcome and Afghanistan’s non-combatant evacuation.

During the Patch Barracks ceremony, Austin commended Wolters’ accomplishments as noteworthy and “historic,” adding, “you’re meeting Russian aggression with unity, with spine, and with steel.”

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GovCon Expert Mark Amtower: Building Your Subject Matter Expert Platform
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GovCon Expert Mark Amtower: Building Your Subject Matter Expert Platform

Mark Amtower, a managing partner of advisory firm Amtower & Co. and a member of Executive Mosaic’s GovCon Expert program, recently posted his most recent featured article via LinkedIn to discuss how to build a platform to establish credibility as a subject matter expert (SME) in the government space.

More specifically, GovCon Expert Mark Amtower detailed his more than three decades of work to become a SME in the government market, which includes producing 100 events and conferences as well as writing over 700 articles on various aspects of GovCon across multiple publications and has been quoted in 250 publications worldwide over his more than 38 years of experience.

“You cannot be a recognized industry expert unless and until the industry at large knows who you are. The industry keeps growing, adding new people, and each of us needs to work hard to maintain, much less grow, our name recognition in the market,” GovCon Expert Mark Amtower explained.

Amtower also strongly emphasized that importance for government contractors to take control of the visibility process and offered to work with a handful of people to provide direct coaching and specific deliverables.

“Why do I work at staying on the radar? It opens doors. Many people in GovCon already know my name. It leads to keeping the pipeline full. It helps close business,” GovCon Expert Mark Amtower added.

Click here to read the full article from GovCon Expert Mark Amtower.

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Military Service Leaders Meet to Tackle JADC2 Progress & Projections
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Military Service Leaders Meet to Tackle JADC2 Progress & Projections

Service leaders from the U.S. Air Force, Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Space Force have convened to discuss the Joint All-Domain Command and Control concept of the Department of Defense as well as its progress and projections.

USAF said Wednesday the June 24 meeting was focused on finding opportunities to align developmental efforts and identifying challenges to advancing JADC2 objectives.

“As the Air Force develops [Advanced Battle Management System] in our effort to achieve information and decision advantage by delivering relevant data, information and capabilities to warfighters at all echelons, we must work together with our sister services and the DOD to ensure we connect our sensors and platforms and share our data as part of a joint force,” remarked Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. CQ Brown, Jr.

Meanwhile, Chief of Space Operations Gen. John Raymond talked about the contributions of Space Force Guardians to the JADC2 initiative with regard to space operations. “Space capabilities underpin modern warfare,” the 2022 Wash100 Award recipient emphasized.

Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mike Gilday shared during the meeting, “Project Overmatch is the Navy’s contribution to JADC2, so as we develop the networks, infrastructure, data architecture, tools and analytics to enable sustained maritime dominance, it’s critical the Navy remains in sync with our joint teammates.”

When it comes to the Army, Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville noted how its annual JADC2 experimentation and demonstration event called Project Convergence is helping ensure that the service branch has decision dominance.

Other topics covered during the meeting were data sharing across the joint force and areas to focus on to meet JADC2 objectives.

“Meetings like the one we held today are important to ensure we continue to stay aligned when it comes to JADC2 – where we are collectively and where we are going,” said Brown.

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Small Businesses Receive DHS Security Tech Prototyping Contracts
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Small Businesses Receive DHS Security Tech Prototyping Contracts

Multiple companies have secured two-year grants to develop and demonstrate prototypes across nine technology areas for the second phase of the Department of Homeland Security’s Small Business Innovation Research Program.

DHS said Thursday it awarded up to $1 million to each SBIR participant whose proposal was deemed feasible in the initial stage.

Research topics include virus detection, 5G connectivity, transparent structural components, vehicle infectious diseases protection, amphibious ice rescue vehicles, 911 telecommunicator augmentation, software supply chain identification, intelligent document design and contraband detection technologies.

“Advancing technologies through research, development, and innovation investments are key to equipping DHS frontline workers with the tools they need to safeguard our nation,” said Kathryn Coulter Mitchell, the department’s acting undersecretary for science and technologies.

Successful demonstrations may open financial aid opportunities from non-SBIR-related entities to develop prototypes into commercial products for the third leg of the innovation program.

What Small and Large Companies Need to Know about Contracting in Business
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What Small and Large Companies Need to Know about Contracting in Business

Whether you are a small or large corporation, there’s no doubt contracting is an important aspect of doing business. Government contracts cover a wide range of industries, including construction, research, defense, health, and safety. The federal government spends billions annually on contracts, making it highly profitable. However, it can be confusing to understand if you’re new to the contracting world. Let’s dig into what it means and how it can help your business today!

What are the general purposes of a business contract?

What are the uses of a business contract

When a business owner starts a partnership with another party, they may find it easier when they have an agreement from the beginning. This can help avoid misunderstandings later on and focus on their success. Here are reasons why contracts are important:

Helps prevent conflicts

A business contract prevents conflicts between parties and paves a way to create enforceable obligations. Most contracts contain clauses preventing the other party from breaching their obligations. If both are successful contracting in business, they will have opportunities to review, edit, and suggest terms they may disagree about in the long term.

Contracts ensure confidentiality

Contracts grant confidentiality to conduct their operations without any problems or issues arising. It’s common for two parties to form contracts and access sensitive information from one another, especially during transactions. To be completely secure, parties can sign a nondisclosure agreement (NDA) to maintain privacy. An NDA usually involves the following:

  • Confidential information included
  • Names of both parties
  • Exclusions from the confidentiality
  • The period of validity
  • Other provisions
  • Appropriate means for the information to be publicized

Secures payments

Parties use contracts to ensure everybody gets paid right. A contract can sometimes be called a sales agreement, but it’s not limited to just sales of goods and services. Other details a contract may include are the following:

  • The average salary of the general contractor
  • Time and frequency of payments
  • Autorenewal dates and terms
  • Payment methods

Serves as a written agreement and a record of legal rights and responsibilities

The purpose of a contract is to create, define, and enforce the obligations of the parties involved. It’s a way of transferring rights and responsibilities from one party to another. By utilizing these contracts, businesses can reduce risks because clarity and predictability are established, and their responsibilities are laid out.

What is government contracting?

What is government contracting?

Government contracting is a process where the federal government procures goods and services from private and independent contractors for its direct benefit and to meet its needs. These contracts come with set terms and conditions with clauses from the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR).

So, you must familiarize yourself with the regulations because all federal agencies use them for procurement purposes. Failure to comply can result in civil and criminal penalties and other financial consequences.

How to be considered a large or small business?

How to be considered a large or small business?

According to the SBA, small businesses with independent owners are underrepresented in the industry. It’s important to determine business size because laws differ for large and small companies, and there are tax advantages for small business owners brought by the Jobs & Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2003. Also, it’s an eligibility factor for many government set-aside contracts and programs.

Employee count per industry 

The SBA has set standards that the employee size for manufacturing companies with 1500 employees is still considered small. However, mining industries with over 500 employees is considered large.

Further, in the construction business, employing heavy construction and general building contractors is considered large if its annual receipt reaches $33.5 million and small if it’s $20 million or less. Lastly, for a consulting business, it can range from $165. to $25.5 million. For the complete list of size standards by the SBA, check it here.

Government contract eligibility

Business owners need to determine their business size if it’s large or small before bidding on contracts. Contracting officers are in charge of size determination for bidding candidates, including employee size and annual receipts. Officers refer to NAICS codes to confirm the business size, evaluate the value and function of products and services, and determine the proposal’s cost.

Affiliates

Another factor to consider is the business’s affiliates (foreign or domestic). Affiliates have viable power and control of the business. For large companies, the affiliate has 50% or more voting rights.

Ways to start a contracting business

Ways to start a general contracting business

If you are willing to put in the time and effort necessary to learn about government contracting, you can be a successful business in no time! This section will enumerate the steps to take before entering business contracting:

1. Establish and determine the business structure

Business structure is a choice of legal form for a business. It also comes with tax implications. A firm can choose any one of the several legal entities to govern its business affairs.

Sole proprietorship

A sole proprietorship is the most common business type because of its simplicity. It differs from corporations and LLCs in a way that it creates no separate legal entity. The business owners are solely responsible for the entity’s liabilities. For example, if the business gets sued, the sole proprietor will have to pay for the expenses with their own money. At the same time, the company’s debts are its owner’s debts, and the company’s profits are also the owner’s profits.

The most popular sole proprietorships are:

LLC

Limited liability companies protect owners from personal liabilities under usual circumstances. For example, if someone sued your business or goes bankrupt, the owner’s personal assets (e.g., vehicles and homes) won’t be at risk. Also, you can file your business income under your personal income taxes. However, you have to shoulder your self-employment taxes.

Another category of LLCs is professional liability companies where the business owners have a license (e.g., law and medicine) and are provided personal asset protection. This is common in some states. Other than that, the same laws apply to ordinary LLCs.

The advantages of an LCC are the following:

  • Tax flexibility
  • Allows the cash accounting method
  • Has no owner restrictions
  • Less corporate formalities
  • Capable of deductible losses

corporation

Corporations are the most complex business structure among the three. This business structure is not recommended for business owners working alone or with a small number of employees. However, this is best for firms with a more extensive scope and employees that intend to grow quickly, have many investors, and plan to sell stocks in their company.

In addition, corporations have stakeholders that exchange property and money for the company’s capital stock. It usually deducts tax income the same as a sole proprietorship. The corporation’s profit is taxed as it’s earned. At the same time, it’s taxed and distributed to shareholders as dividends, resulting in a double tax without deductions.

2. Register your business name

After establishing your business structure, the next step is to register your business name. This will help build your brand, so ensure it is unique. There are many ways to register your business depending on your situation:

Trademark

This needs to be registered through USPTO. Trademarks ensure the legal protection of the business. It can come with slogans, logos, and symbols. You consider trademarks if you have a visual element to relate to your business. However, trademark registrations can cost up to $300.

Domain name

Besides legally registering your business name, domain names are also available. You can research business domain names and check for their availability here. Doing so can save you time from legally registering and later realizing its unavailability through digital channels. Also, it’s usually registered through ICANN-accredited registrars, making it different from trademarks and businesses. This gives the right domain name owner the power to prevent others from using it without court procedures.

Doing business as (DBA) name

DBA names don’t grant legal protection to your business. However, it might be required depending on the business structure and location. It may also be needed depending on the state, city, or country. For example, Donna Smith can acquire a “doing business name” as Candylit Shop. Lastly, DBA names can’t include “Inc.” or “Corp.” unless it’s registered as a corporation with the State Secretary.

3. Obtain a federal tax ID number

The federal tax ID is also the employer identification number (EIN). It’s a unique nine-digit number formatted as XX-XXXXXXX. Its purpose is for your business to be easily identified by the Internal Revenue Service. Online applications are available for companies located in the U.S. and its territories. Further, EIN allows business owners to:

  • Legally employ workers
  • Pay federal taxes
  • Acquire business licenses
  • Create a business account
  • Operate as corporations

4. Ensure your qualifications

After accomplishing the basic business requirements, it’s important to determine what can disqualify you from the government contracting process. This can save you time from bidding on contracts you may not qualify for. So, take the time to read all the requirements, ensure you can meet them, and follow all the application steps.

5. Get business insurance

Business insurance is highly recommended for small and large businesses, especially independent contractors. Small accidents typically involving money, minor damages, and any lawsuit worth less than $10,000 occur daily. Knowing you have protection gives you peace of mind. The insurance for general contracting businesses is general liability insurance. It helps protect small businesses from lawsuits against property damage and physical injuries. There are steps to do before buying business insurance:

Know your risks: Determine what accidents, lawsuits, and damages are common in your business. If you operate in a commercial area, you are at risk for fire or hail storms. So, commercial property insurance is the best one for this case.

Get a trusted insurance agent: The agent you choose should be licensed and has an interest in your needs as much as their own business.

Look around: Insurance coverage and benefits differ significantly. You should compare terms and rates from different insurance companies.

Conduct yearly assessments: Your business needs and liabilities change as your company grows. Whether for equipment upgrades or business expansion, you should discuss it with your insurance agent and how it can affect your coverage.

6. Comply with business regulations

The United States government has established a wide range of federal, local, and state regulations and laws that businesses must comply with. Most of them are created to protect consumers, maintain the safety of all employees, and ensure that businesses of all sizes operate within the laws. Some of these regulations include:

  • Federal antitrust laws
  • Tax code
  • Retirement plans
  • Employment and labor laws
  • Environmental regulations
  • Advertising laws
  • Licensing requirements

7. Put your business in order

Government contracting is very competitive. You need to plan and have the professional skills to succeed in the government market. The following tips will help you get started:

Have a good credit score

You must maintain a good credit score because some contract requirements include a surety bond. Your personal and business credit cards will be checked during the bidding process or when getting business insurance, which are also government contracting requirements. So, you should take care of your finances to afford to pay bills on time.

Work with a reputable accounting firm

They can help you find ways to reduce your tax liability by using tax credits, deductions, and other measures available to government contractors.

Create a solid business plan

Your business plan should include a detailed description of your company’s products and services, a financial outline that shows how much money you expect to raise, and other relevant information required.

8. Research about licensing requirements

Another step to being a government contractor is to research the state and local licensing requirements for your field of expertise. For example, if you are an electrician who works on electrical systems, the state could require the state board of electricians to license you. Also, most states want to see proof of your business’s experience in the industry. You may be required to pass your financial records to validate your net worth and provide general liability insurance evidence. In some cases, you’ll need an endorsement from another licensed professional in your field of expertise before becoming a state contractor.

9. Set up a new business account

Having separate bank accounts for your personal and business transactions are important. You will need it as soon as you receive payments from your clients. After choosing a bank, you need to provide the following business details to open an account:

  • Business formation and ownership agreement documents
  • Business license
  • Employee identification number
  • Social security number for sole proprietors

10. Participate in industry associations

Aspiring and new government contractors who want to stay up-to-date on government contracting issues should join an association that offers a newsletter or newsletter subscription service, networking events, and other opportunities to learn from industry peers.

Where to find government contracting opportunities?

FedBizOpps

FedBizOpps is an online database that provides information on procurement contracts and other business opportunities posted by federal agencies. The website also includes information on potential partners in the private industry that may be able to assist with your goals or objectives. The site has been to SAM.gov and is now named “Contracting Opportunities”. Procurement opportunities beyond $25,000 are posted here. Alternatively, you can check census.gov for more information about contracting opportunities below $25,000.

SBA

The SBA is the federal government’s primary source for information on small business opportunities, including contracting opportunities. It offers various services and programs to help entrepreneurs start, grow, and succeed in business. Among these are:

  • Providing a single point of contact for small firms seeking government contracts (SubNet)
  • Providing free access to a comprehensive database containing set-aside and sole-source contracts available to small businesses across America.
  • Offering comprehensive training programs on topics including preparing proposals, negotiating contract terms and conditions, managing complex procurement processes, and more.
  • Preparing small businesses for future challenges by offering workshops on topics such as social media marketing, public relations strategies, and other skills.
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DOE Requests Feedback on Hydropower Infrastructure Plan
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DOE Requests Feedback on Hydropower Infrastructure Plan

The Department of Energy has asked for public input on deciding how to shape two incentive programs for the modernization of domestic hydroelectric power facilities.

DOE said Thursday it is looking to invest $628.6 million in capital improvement projects that will work to increase energy efficiency and resilience at hydropower plants.

Current facilities that generate electricity using water flow account for 6 percent of U.S. electricity supply and 32 percent of the country’s electricity generation from renewable sources, but many of their systems need to be updated, DOE noted.

The department plans to offer $553.6 million through the Maintaining and Enhancing Hydroelectricity Incentives Program and another $75 million through the Hydroelectric Efficiency Improvement Incentives Program.

Both initiatives are part of DOE’s $62 billion clean-energy investment plan supported by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

In the request for information, DOE wants the public’s comment on topics such as program structure, selection criteria and fund distribution. The comment period is open through Sept. 6th.

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