How often do incumbent contractors win the recompete?
Companies business projections — their pipeline for future business — is based on 100% certainty that we’re going to win the same work again and […]
Month: June 2020
Gen. Goldfein on interacting with Congress and the Industrial Base
You can’t skip the step of getting the data right because data is the currency of future operations. This is a tough conversation to have, […]
Acquisition headlines
R&D head Mike Griffin & deputy Lisa Porter resign. “I have never seen two political appointees leave together to pursue the same opportunity, but if […]
Are Boeing’s engineering woes due to financialization?
For about 80 years, Boeing basically functioned as an association of engineers. Its executives held patents, designed wings, spoke the language of engineering and safety […]
Special Event: Virtual Session on Budget Reform (Jun. 29 @ 1pm EST)
Please join me and Matt MacGregor for a virtual session hosted by the NatSecGirlSquad on the topic of budget reform. Here’s a quick synopsis: The […]
Defense budget reform in Senate’s draft FY21 NDAA
The bill pays particular attention to how the Pentagon manages its substantial budget and implements numerous provisions designed to streamline work, expand the ability of […]
Is it time for bold changes to weapon systems? Lessons from Germany’s WWII experience
The success of the Nazi drive across Europe proved what the military of other nations had long suspected: that the complete disarmament of Germany after […]
Here’s a better way for the Space Force to be financially agile
When Roper was in charge of the Strategic Capabilities Office he had the ability to move money between programs in a way that allowed him […]
JAIC director Shanahan on how to build trust with Congress
I have struggled with this at the JAIC going up to the Hill and saying, ‘You know, you’re asking for a level of detail in […]
Acquisition headlines
US Air Force says these are its options for hiring private aerial refueling companies. “The cost per flying hour for these solutions ranged from $15,000 […]
Should the DoD be picking winners and losers?
“The DoD was capable of picking winners and losers, and that’s what stopped in the 70s. A bunch of us in the startup world think […]
Agile development isn’t new to defense, it was just cast out by the “whiz kids”
It seems clear that the reciprocity of innovation and requirement is unusually important during the period when demonstrations of feasibility are being attempted. The character […]
The DoD must start contracting for excellence
To encourage modern technology development, contracts should account for development that begins with a vision and proceeds with sprints. These contracts should have quantifiable outcomes […]
The importance of sales & marketing in commercial go-to-market
Let’s say you’re at $50 million ARR [annual recurring revenue] and your peer group on average grows at 80 percent. That means your peer group […]
COVID-19 contract update and unfunded DoD costs
A major DoD concern is the unfunded costs of execution during COVID-19. Section 3610 of the CARES Act allows the government to pay its contractors […]