CDCA Small Business and Industry Outreach Initiative Symposium (SBIOI)

The 51st Charleston Defense Contractors Association (CDCA) Small Business and Industry Outreach Initiative Symposium (SBIOI) was held on July 10, 2019 in Charleston, South Carolina. The focus of the SBIOI was to inform industry of Naval Information Warfare Center (NIWC) Atlantic’s overall strategies and initiatives, as well as highlight upcoming NIWC Atlantic procurements. Presenters during the event included:

• Pete Reddy, NIWC Atlantic Deputy Executive Director
• Steve Harnig, NIWC Atlantic Contracts Lead
• Don Sallee, IWRP Program Manager
• Delbert Singleton, SC State Fiscal Authority Director

NIWC Atlantic had a $2.93B total obligation authority in FY18 with $1.6B in total obligations. 41% of this went to Small Business under a 91% competition rate. Due to results from the March 2019 Secretary of the Navy Cybersecurity Readiness Review, the agency is increasing its focus on the cyber realm. Mr. Reddy explained how information warfare and information operations are essential and all-encompassing, permeating every aspect of cyber and network relationships. Continued attention on cyber security combined with industry engagement will increase protection of information and assist in tightening overall cybersecurity.

The IWRP Program Manager, Don Salee, provided an update on NIWC Atlantic’s Information Warfare Research Project (IWRP). 66 prototypes have been offered since its inception, with 64 of these in FY19. This has been a 100% increase from the agency’s initial forecasts. The amount of reservations received for FY19 has exceeded their three year projections. NIWC Atlantic is seeking additional ceiling for IWRP in FY20. Further IWRP stats were provided, as highlighted below:

• 13 awards made
• 6 awards in progress
• 6 non-NAVWAR agencies using IWRP
• 26 proposals in the government’s basket, which remain valid for 18 months
• An average of 142 days for prototype award from inception
• $1.1M average amount per award

NIWC Atlantic’s overall contracting strategy remains the same and the agency is continuing to find the right balance between internal and external contracting actions. However, it is becoming more involved with higher classifications, which may have an impact on the internal/external balance. As a result, it is possible the agency may end up leaning more towards internal contracts due to overall contract capabilities and classifications.

In addition, NIWC Atlantic is still managing the crossover from SeaPort-e to SeaPort NxG. Three requirements are still planned on being issued via SeaPort-e. All other planned SeaPort requirements for the agency will be issued via the SeaPort NxG vehicle.

The next CDCA SBIOI is anticipated to be held on October 9, 2019.