AFCEA

Defense Information Systems Agency Forecast to Industry

The Defense Information Systems Agency’s annual Forecast to Industry will take place on Friday, August 9 from 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. It will be held in the DISA Headquarters Conference Center on Fort George G. Meade, Md. This event is intended to provide industry partners with in-depth information about DISA's acquisition and procurement plans. Read more at http://disa.mil/News/Conferences-and-Events/Forecast-to-Industry-2013.

Request for Information: Department of Homeland Security Acquisition Planning Forecast System (APFS) Data Fields

The DHS APFS is a DHS-wide acquisition portal which captures and consolidates the DHS forecast of planned contract requirements valued at $150,000.00 or greater, and is used to provide industry with a forecast of planned contract opportunities. The APFS system is available to the general public via web-access, and interested businesses may search the system based on a variety of search criteria for requirements that match their corporate capabilities, and thereby position themselves to respond to potential future solicitations.

May 17 Corporate Gray Military Job Fair in Springfield, Virginia

Dozens of top "military friendly" companies and government agencies will be at the Friday, May 17 Corporate Gray Military Job Fair at the Waterford in Springfield, Virginia. Job fair hours are 9:00 am to 12:30 pm with free, employment-related seminars starting at 8:00 am. This job fair is especially for transitioning and former military, but open to civilians as well. For more information, visit www.corporategray.com/jobfairs/289.

Dataguise, a leading innovator of data security intelligence and protection solutions, today released ten security best practices for organizations considering or implementing Hadoop. By following these procedures to manage privacy risk, data management and security, professionals can prevent costly exposure of sensitive data, reduce their risk profile and better adhere to compliance mandates. With Hadoop security deployments among the Fortune 200, Dataguise has developed these practices and procedures from significant experience in securing these large and diverse environments.

‘Downtown Destiny’ contest offers rent-free retail space in Harford County

Bel Air Downtown Alliance supports small business growth with new contest

BEL AIR, MD – The Bel Air Downtown Alliance announces a new contest focused on fostering growth in the small business community of Downtown Bel Air located in Harford County, Maryland. Downtown Destiny offers the opportunity for entrepreneurs and small business owners looking to launch their first retail location or expand with a new location to apply to win rent-free retail space in the downtown area of Bel Air for a period of three months.

DARPA looking for answers to protect wireless defense networks

Defense Systems: With the majority of work to develop and mature military wireless networks to date being focused on efficiency and stability in benign conditions, insufficient attention has been paid to identifying and mitigating vulnerabilities arising from the new features being added to make these networks more efficient, according to the Defense Advance Research Project Agency (DARPA). With that in mind, DARPA is soliciting research proposals in the area of developing situational awareness within the control plane of wireless networks and fortifying that control against attack or other sources of misinformation.

SIGNAL Magazine: DISA Lays Groundwork for Commercial Cloud Computing Contract

The Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) has begun internal discussions regarding a multiaward contract for cloud computing services. Anthony Montemarano, DISA’s director of strategic planning and information, told a briefing of industry leaders Monday that he and his agency are firm believers in cloud computing. “When you look at some of the functions that we perform in government, a lot of it can be provided in the commercial cloud. We have to come to grips with the value proposition,” he explains. He believes that the Defense Department’s cloud computing strategy must include DISA cloud resources, commercial cloud services and privately owned cloud services where appropriate.

Global Defense Survey 2013 - Business Outlook, Key Markets and Opportunities

This report provides the reader with a definitive analysis of business outlook in the global defense industry, and explores how key industry dynamics are set to change during 2013-2017. This report gives access to the key regions projected to witness the most defense opportunities, RandD budget outlook, future expectation from suppliers, business challenges, and key investment areas for the future. The report also identifies the emerging trends in the Aftermarket Service Support and MRO Area, MandA, staff hiring, and examines supplier strategies against decreasing defense expenditure. It not only grants access to the opinions and strategies of business decision makers and competitors, but also examines their actions surrounding business priorities, as well as access to information categorized by region, company type, and size.

CNA has just released its 2012 Year in Review describing selected research carried out by CNA analysts throughout 2012.

Government Contracting Weekly is a TV show devoted to winning government contracts, brought to you by AOC Key Solutions, Inc.. The show airs every Sunday on the DC Metro CBS affiliate WUSA9. For a list of upcoming and past shows, click here.

MITRE, Aerospace Bring Forward Best Practices for Acquisition Success

WASHINGTON, D.C., March 12, 2013 — A new guide has been released to assist the federal government with acquisition programs by providing a checklist of key questions to consider in the acquisition process. Key Questions for Acquisition Success provides federal acquisition officials with reminders and guidance to inform their actions and decisions. It is applicable across a range of acquisition programs – large, major acquisitions and those leveraging agile acquisition methods – and it includes affordability, efficiency, and effectiveness best practices.

DARPA issues presolicitation notice for satellite recycling project

The goal of the Phoenix program is to develop and demonstrate technologies to harvest and re-use valuable components from retired, cooperative, non-operating satellites in or near GEO and, using those components, demonstrate the ability to create new space systems at greatly reduced cost. Phoenix seeks to demonstrate around the-clock, globally persistent communication capability for warfighters more economically by robotically removing and re-using GEO-based space apertures and antennas from de-commissioned satellites in the graveyard or disposal orbit.
This DARPA-BAA-13-12 is associated with previously posted DARPA-SN-13-16 Phoenix Proposers' Day Announcement, available through the following link:
https://www.fbo.gov/spg/ODA/DARPA/CMO/DARPA-SN-13-16/listing.html

DHS Office of Emergency Communications (OEC) is pleased to announce that the FY 2013 SAFECOM Guidance on Emergency Communications Grants has been posted to the SAFECOM website. The document can be found at: http://www.safecomprogram.gov/grant/Default.aspx.

The SAFECOM Guidance is developed in coordination with stakeholders and Federal agency partners, and provides grantees with the most up-to-date information on Federal policies and initiatives affecting emergency communications, and technical standards for improving interoperability. Many agencies strongly encourage grantees to consult and comply with the FY 2013 SAFECOM Guidance as a condition of grant funding. Grantees and sub-grantees are strongly encouraged to read the FY 2013 SAFECOM Guidance before developing and submitting projects for funding under FY 2013 grants. Compliance with the FY 2013 SAFECOM Guidance will not only strengthen project proposals, but will also help to ensure that emergency communications projects are coordinated, compatible, and interoperable. For questions on the FY 2013 SAFECOM Guidance, please email OEC at: oec@hq.dhs.gov.

New York City Department of Information Technology and Communications Marks Major Milestone on Implementation of City's Landmark Open Data Law

More than 1,000 Data Sets Now Available to Public at No Charge – with New Data Added Daily

New York City Chief Information and Innovation Officer Rahul N. Merchant today announced the strides made by the Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications (DoITT) on implementation of New York City’s historic open data legislation. Local Law 11 of 2012, which requires City agencies to systematically categorize and make accessible in “open” formats their public data sets, reached a significant milestone today, one year after its signing by Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg. March 7, 2013 marks the date by which data on NYC.gov must also be made available in machine-readable formats on NYC OpenData, the City’s centralized platform for data from more than 60 agencies. Today, there are approximately 1,750 unique representations of more than 1,000 raw data sets available at no charge via NYC OpenData, with new data added every day. Available data sets span the full range of City operations, including cultural affairs, education, health, housing, property, public safety, social services, transportation, and more. As outlined by the legislation, agencies with public data sets not yet accessible in open formats are now working with DoITT to determine when this data can be made available.

Sequestration Communication from the Department of Homeland Security

Defense Science Board Task Force Report: Resilient Military Systems and the Advanced Cyber Threat

http://ctovision.com/2013/03/dsb-report-on-resilient-military-systems-and-the-cyber-threat/

Air Force opportunity targets cyber threats

Sources sought: The objective of this initiative is to identify, neutralize, or exploit threats in the cyber medium to Air Force (AF) assets (people, weapons systems, and the AF network) worldwide, whether foreign governments, international terrorists, or unaffiliated actors. This effort supports computer network defense (CND); law enforcement (LE), and counterintelligence (CI) operations and activities; quality assurance; and innovation integration; and network administration.

The Defense Innovation Marketplace is a centralized resource to reinvigorate innovation. For Industry, the Marketplace is the place to learn about Department of Defense investment priorities and capability needs. Additionally, industry uses this site to submit proprietary IR&D summary reports which are separately stored, accessed and used solely for compliance with the Defense Federal Acquisition Supplement at 48 CFR 231.205-18(c)(iii)(C). For Government, the Marketplace will provide new search tools to assess and then leverage industry technology projects for current and future programs.

DHS Chief Procurement Officer's FY 2012 Annual Progress Report

The DHS Chief Procurement Officer has issued the Annual Progress Report for FY 2012. A text-only version of the report is posted to the dhs.gov website at http://www.dhs.gov/do-business-dhs

SPAWAR’s Three-Year Acquisition Forecast

SPAWAR has posted an updated 3- year acquisition forecast to its public web portal entitled "SPAWAR 3 Year Acquisition Forecast (11-2012)" at http://www.public.navy.mil/spawar/Pages/SmallBusiness.aspx.

This forecast includes opportunities for SPAWAR Headquarters, SPAWAR System Centers Atlantic and Pacific. The forecast is informational only and does not constitute an offer or commitment by the Navy to fund, in whole or part, the opportunities herein. Vendors shall not contact any contracting or technical personnel regarding this information and all inquiries shall be submitted via email to SPAWARSBO@navy.mil.

Venable Client Alert

Venable, an AFCEA member company, has a News & Insights tab on their homepage where interested individuals can register to receive valuable communications, including articles and alerts. They recently released an article in the November 2012 issue entitled, “Crucial Legal Issues in the Recovery from Hurricane Sandy,” which you may find interesting. For more information, visit www.venable.com/subscriptioncenter.