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Small Businesses Gather Intel

Leaders from throughout the intelligence community shared their insight about how small businesses can work with their agencies at the AFCEA Small Business Intelligence Forum last month. During the half-day event, attendees learned about the current technical requirements of the community, and they heard ideas on how to build a relationship with intelligence organizations that can result in acquiring new business.

Dr. William Nolte, research professor and director of the Program on Intelligence Research and Education, University of Maryland, started the forum on a realistic note. In his opinion, many of the systems that facilitate government-industry partnerships are broken. To some extent this condition exists because the issue of who is in charge of the intelligence community has yet to be resolved. Even though Congress established the Office of the Director of National Intelligence to centralize authority, some members of the community, such as the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), are exceptions to this rule.

Nolte speaks from experience. He served as the assistant deputy director of national intelligence for education and training and the chancellor of the National Intelligence University System before retiring from government in 2006.

He also stated that the government acquisition system today is broken in a way that small businesses in particular cannot handle. It can take months for an agency to pay invoices, and this is time that small companies cannot afford to wait. Many of the issues could be resolved if Congress had a better handle on acquisition, but the procurement power base still resides in the agencies, Nolte added.

Although problems exist, during the forum representatives from the “three-letter” agencies identified a number of solutions their organizations seek and the ways small businesses can provide them. In fact, one attendee said this forum was the most useful event he had ever attended because it offered concrete information about how to make inroads into doing business with the intelligence community.

Jill Singer, deputy chief information officer (CIO) of the CIA, said that although her agency is not subject to the same small business set-aside guidelines as other government organizations, it still is dedicated to working with small companies. Among the CIA’s priorities are transforming the collection and analysis, intelligence, communications and access to mission-support information. Companies can e-mail bidders@ucia.org to begin the process of working with the agency, she shared.

The deputy CIO of the National Security Agency (NSA), Kelly Miller, shared that his agency is moving from stovepiped systems to a service-oriented architecture. The change requires solutions that will enable information to be shared across NSA sectors and with other intelligence agencies and foreign partners. The agency is not focused on information technology but rather on information management, he said.

Miller also noted that small businesses can interact with the NSA in a number of ways. He suggested that because the agency operates in niche markets, companies with specific expertise should make this known to the NSA. Miller also recommended that small companies investigate how they can work on large contracts that currently exist or can present themselves to the agency as an independent company that is interested in direct work. All businesses should only present solutions that can be used across the intelligence community, avoid offering proprietary products and keep track of the types of capabilities that the community is purchasing.

Agility is key when working with the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), according to Vivian Turnbull, the DIA’s representative at the forum. Turnbull, vice deputy director for information management and CIO at the DIA, explained the agency does not conduct its own research and development, so it relies on work done in other intelligence organizations and industry. Companies should bring their new capabilities into the DIA’s Innovation Department, she added.

Some of the solutions the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is interested in are next-generation biometrics capabilities and secure mobile communications, stated Dean Hall, associate executive assistant director and deputy CIO, FBI. The bureau also is embarking on a technology refresh because its Trilogy program is more than five years old.

During the second panel, representatives from the intelligence community listed a number of ways small businesses can contact their organizations. Companies interested in working with the NSA should register with the Acquisition Resource Center (ARC) and the Central Contractor Registration program. The NSA also holds briefings with companies approximately twice a month. For more information about these events, small businesses can go to www.nsaarc.net/biweekly.

The DIA also uses the ARC list to locate vendors that may fill its requirements. In addition, the agency seeks sources through the Federal Business Opportunities service. At times, the DIA does not require a formal proposal but rather a two- to three-page capabilities statement that explains in detail a company’s strengths and experience.

The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) has an Industry Interaction Panel that reviews the white papers, briefings and unsolicited proposals it receives each month. Companies that submit information for review will receive either an acceptance or rejection notice from the panel. The NGA also works with small businesses through its small business vendor list. To be placed on the list, firms should e-mail smallbusiness@nga.mil.

Additional comments from the AFCEA Small Business Intelligence Forum are available on the SIGNAL Magazine blog.