A Trio of CEO Appointments and More Leadership Moves Across the Market
A wave of senior leadership changes swept the U.S. defense and IT services sector this week. Tim Hurlebaus was elected CEO of CGI after a 21‑year tenure, while David Abel took the helm at radar‑systems maker C Speed. UForce appointed former DHS adviser Sean Plankey as its U.S. chief executive, and Expression Networks added a CTO and chief strategy officer to drive technical growth. Boardrooms also shifted, with Booz Allen Hamilton adding Goldman Sachs veteran Ryan Nolan and LeoLabs naming former BlueHalo CEO Jonathan Moneymaker as chairman.
Air Force Research Lab Seeks Small Businesses for Rapid Innovation Support
The Air Force Research Laboratory’s Center for Rapid Innovation (CRI) has issued a sources‑sought notice inviting small businesses to submit up to seven‑page capability statements for rapid technology development, testing and prototype delivery within 24 months. The request, due June 16,...
Accenture Federal, OpenAI Partner to Move Agencies From AI Pilots to Production
Accenture Federal Services and OpenAI have formed a strategic partnership to transition U.S. government AI pilots into production‑ready, mission‑critical applications. The collaboration leverages OpenAI's FedRAMP Moderate‑authorized models and Accenture's deep knowledge of agency data, systems, and workflows. A new development...
DOD Builds Framework for Faster Development and Deployment of Cruise Missiles
The Defense Department signed framework agreements with Anduril, CoAspire, Leidos and Zone 5 to develop low‑cost, containerized cruise missiles, with testing slated for spring 2026 and production aimed for 2027. A separate contract with Castelion will validate the Blackbeard missile, followed...
Navy Awards $349M Unmanned Maritime Support Contract
The U.S. Navy has awarded a new eight‑year, $349.4 million Unmanned Maritime Systems Support contract to nine contractors, mixing incumbents and newcomers. The award follows a competitive solicitation that drew 21 proposals, and the contractors will compete for task orders covering...
Golden Dome's Key Questions to Determine Its Success
The Pentagon’s Golden Dome program aims to create an integrated missile‑defense architecture that blends ground‑based radars, space‑based sensors and data‑routing software to detect and intercept threats before launch or in flight. The Congressional Budget Office now estimates the system will...
Leidos Lands $2.7B Dark Eagle Production Contract
Leidos secured a $2.7 billion full‑production contract from the Defense Department for the Dark Eagle hypersonic weapon, moving the program from an other‑transaction authority to a traditional FAR‑based award. The deal unifies the Thermal Protection Shield and Common Hypersonic Glide Body...
Air Force Taps Salesforce’s Army Contract for Personnel Modernization Work
Salesforce has secured a $72 million enterprise license agreement with the U.S. Air Force to modernize personnel and logistics management using artificial intelligence. The deal taps into the broader $5.6 billion contract the vendor signed with the Army earlier this year, creating...
The Army Wants to Reinvent How It Feeds Soldiers in the Field
The Army Combat Capabilities Development Command issued a source‑sought notice seeking alternative‑protein technologies to overhaul field rations. It is looking for long‑shelf‑life, lightweight, nutrient‑dense meals produced via fermentation or precision fermentation, explicitly excluding lab‑grown meat and insect protein. The initiative...
Cowboy Space, Darkhive Detail Their Series B Rounds
Cowboy Space Corp., founded by Robinhood co‑founder Baiju Bhatt, closed a $275 million Series B that values the company at about $2 billion. The round, led by Index Ventures, will fund its first power‑beaming satellite and an AI‑focused data‑center module in partnership with...
How Lyntris Centers Its Tech on 'Left of Bang'
Lyntris, formed by merging Accelint Holdings and Vitesse Systems, targets the early‑warfare "left of bang" space where threat identification and decision‑making occur. Backed by Trive Capital, the company claims involvement in roughly 200 U.S. Defense Department and allied programs. Its...
Peraton's Sector President Hires and More Leadership Moves Across the Market
Peraton announced two sector president hires—Gabe Camarillo for defense and Vishal Tuslian for health, state and local—along with an internal promotion of Danny Valladares to chief technology officer for its national security business. Across the federal‑technology market, firms such as...
Army Small Business Office Pulls the Plug on LinkedIn Posts
The Army Office of Small Business Programs announced it will stop updating its LinkedIn page, directing all announcements, resources, and opportunities to its official website instead. The LinkedIn feed, which had amassed roughly 25,000 followers, was used to share CMMC...
How IT Vendors Should Approach the Federal Post-Quantum Cryptography Market
The U.S. government has set a 2035 deadline for all federal agencies to transition to post‑quantum cryptography (PQC), with the Department of Defense (DoD) already issuing a 2025 memo that phases out legacy cryptographic methods by the end of 2030‑31....
Legislative Proposal Would Eliminate Contracting Preferences for Minority, Women-Owned Businesses
A bipartisan bill introduced by Sen. Mike Lee and Rep. Glenn Grothman would strip most diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) clauses from federal contracts, effectively ending preference programs for minority‑ and women‑owned small businesses, including the 8(a) program. The legislation...
The Data Accountability Trap: Why Federal AI Success Hinges on Stewardship over Software
Federal agencies are shifting AI focus from new algorithms to the data they already hold. The March 2026 White House AI policy and recent OMB directives emphasize enterprise‑wide data governance as the primary lever for mission‑ready AI. New contractual rules,...
Astranis, Scout Space Lay Out Next Steps Following Capital Rounds
Astranis secured $455 million in new capital—a $300 million Series E led by Snowpoint Ventures and Franklin Templeton plus a $155 million delayed‑draw credit from Trinity Capital—to accelerate production of its micro‑GEO communications satellites and chase U.S. military contracts, including a potential $4 billion GEO...
Army's $50B MAPS Vehicle Hit with Second Protest
The U.S. Army’s $50 billion Marketplace for the Acquisition of Professional Services (MAPS) vehicle has encountered a second protest, this time from Intelligence Consulting Enterprise Solutions, joining an earlier challenge by MetroStar Systems. Protesters argue the solicitation lacks transparency, citing frequent...
DHS Preps Industry for Communications Equipment Recompete
The Department of Homeland Security is gearing up for the next round of its tactical communications procurement, dubbed TACTICS, with a final solicitation slated for August 3, 2026. The current TACCOM II contract, awarded in 2019 with a $3 billion ceiling, has already seen...
Air Force Eyes OTAs, Agile Acquisition for Next-Gen Air Operations Command and Control System
The Air Force is launching a modernization effort for its Next‑Generation Air Operations Center (NG AOC) command‑and‑control system, aiming to embed artificial‑intelligence and cloud capabilities more quickly. It plans to use other‑transaction agreements (OTAs) and an agile acquisition framework, managed...
Trump Admin Floats Policy Language Limiting Contractor Say on Agency Uses of Technology
The Trump administration is circulating draft policy language that would cement the government’s authority to determine lawful and appropriate uses of privately sourced AI technologies, potentially through an executive order and a dedicated AI‑model working group. The drafts address licensing...
Quantum Space, RealmOne Detail CEO Transitions
Jim Bridenstine, former NASA administrator, has been appointed CEO of Quantum Space, a fast‑growing spacecraft developer. The company recently closed an $80 million Series A round and is advancing its multi‑orbit Ranger satellite, which supports the $1.8 billion Space Force Andromeda program. At...
FinCEN Eyes Contractors to Help Draft Its Own Regulations
The Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) is evaluating the use of external contractors to draft regulatory guidance and rulemaking materials. The effort targets compliance with the 2020 Anti‑Money Laundering Act and the 2025 Genius Act governing U.S. stablecoins....
Workday Bets Big on Federal HR Overhaul
Workday is positioning itself to win the federal government's HR modernization effort, targeting the OMB’s ten‑year Federal HR 2.0 procurement slated for a November award. The company has expanded its government unit from seven staff to roughly 400, opening a Reston,...
Sales, Tech and Talent Leadership Moves Across the Market
A wave of senior appointments swept the defense and technology services market this week. Agile Defense hired former Army officer Shawn Tyrie as chief revenue officer and ex‑FBI official James Nowotny as VP of justice and national security. CACI International...
Trump Executive Order Pushes Fixed-Price Contracting, but Implementation Questions Loom
President Trump signed an executive order urging federal agencies to favor fixed‑price contracts over cost‑reimbursement models, citing $120 billion in cost‑reimbursement consulting contracts in FY 2024. The order mandates written justifications for any non‑fixed‑price award and routes those justifications to a political...
NOAA Starts the Bidding for ProTech 2.0's Environmental Monitoring Domain
NOAA has opened the solicitation for the final ProTech 2.0 domain—Space‑Based Environmental Monitoring (SBEM). The agency will accept proposals from up to 12 small businesses, with a deadline of 10 a.m. ET on May 5, 2026. SBEM work will initially target GNSS radio‑occultation...
CBP Seeks AI Solutions to Keep Pace with Rising Volumes of Border Scans
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is confronting a data surge as expanded X‑ray scanning now produces tens of thousands of vehicle images daily. To prevent analyst overload, the agency issued a sources‑sought notice for AI and machine‑learning algorithms that can...
Firestorm Labs Wraps up $82M Series B Round
Firestorm Labs announced an $82 million Series B round led by Washington Harbour Partners, with participation from Booz Allen, Lockheed Martin, In‑Q‑Tel, NEA, Ondas, Geodesic and Motley Fool Ventures. The funding will accelerate scaled production of its xCell portable drone‑manufacturing system, a containerized 3‑D...
GSA Hits One-Year Mark for OneGov
The General Services Administration’s OneGov program, launched in April 2025, has consolidated federal tech purchases into 20 unified agreements with major vendors. In its first full year, GSA reports $1.1 billion in cost avoidance, driven by software discounts up to 90%...
COMMENTARY: A Year of OneGov: Over a Billion in Savings and Still Growing
The General Services Administration’s OneGov program celebrated its first anniversary, reporting $1.1 billion in federal cost savings. By consolidating technology purchases under a single customer, GSA negotiated discounts of up to 90% from major vendors such as Microsoft, Adobe and Google....
Japanese Lease Dooms SupplyCore’s Protest of Logistics Contract
The U.S. General Services Administration awarded a $77.8 million logistics support contract for more than 100 U.S. installations in Japan to Amentum, beating incumbent SupplyCore’s $81.4 million bid. Both firms earned identical technical and live‑test scores, but Amentum outperformed SupplyCore on operational...
Army Sets Industry Day for High-Performance Computing Recompete
The Army Corps of Engineers announced an industry day on June 24‑25 to launch the High Performance Modernization Computing Program‑Unrestricted III (HITS‑UIII), the next iteration of its high‑performance computing support contract. BAE Systems, the incumbent from the HITS‑UII award, has already had...
FAR Overhaul Final Rules Stall as OMB Weighs Changes
The Office of Management and Budget is still reviewing the 12 final rules that will lock in the Revolutionary FAR Overhaul, delaying their expected early‑2026 release. Four of the rules are close to Federal Register publication but require OIRA sign‑off....
Growth and Operations Leadership Moves Across the Market
A wave of senior‑level appointments swept the federal‑focused tech and services sector this week. Aquia named Heather Caudle senior vice president of growth and strategy, while Capital Group hired Shayna Taitt‑Thompson as chief growth officer. Comcast added former AT&T veteran...
CACI Opens up More on Its Arka Acquisition and the Path Forward
CACI International closed its $2.6 billion acquisition of Arka Group in March, adding 1,100 employees and advanced space‑based imaging sensors to its portfolio. CEO John Mengucci highlighted ground‑processing as the primary synergy, with Arka’s authorizations enabling agentic AI for geospatial intelligence...
HHS to Rework $1B Legal Services Contract After Protests
The Health and Human Services Department will revise a $1 billion solicitation for legal services to unaccompanied migrant children after the Government Accountability Office dismissed protests. Incumbent Acacia Center for Justice and rival ICF challenged invoicing terms, background‑check requirements, and a...
VA Seeks Industry Ideas for Contact Center Tech Upgrade
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs issued a request for information seeking industry proposals to overhaul its contact‑center technology. The agency currently runs NICE CXOne, Medalia and ServiceNow, but wants to embed conversational AI, multilingual bots, intent‑based routing and predictive analytics....
Outcome-Based Strategies Must Come Before Outcome-Based Contracts
Outcome-based contracting is gaining traction in federal procurement, but experts warn that a solid outcome‑based strategy must precede contract language. A new IBM Center report identifies five critical success factors—outcome‑focused requirements, data capability, trust‑based collaboration, governance, and results‑centered oversight. The...
Fortem Receives New Lockheed Backing, Reliable Robotics Completes Series B Raise
Fortem Technologies secured a $25 million first‑tranche investment from Lockheed Martin as part of a Series B round, accelerating production of its AI‑driven counter‑UAS sensors and interceptors. The capital will also embed Fortem’s technology into Lockheed’s Sanctum ecosystem, creating a more interoperable defense...
Army’s $50B MAPS Contract Draws Fire on Multiple Fronts
The U.S. Army is launching the Marketplace for the Acquisition of Professional Services (MAPS), a 10‑year, $50 billion contract vehicle that merges the RS3 and ITES‑3S contracts. Industry groups have raised dozens of concerns, noting that the Army has answered only...
FedRAMP and CMMC Compliance Deadlines Are Looming
Federal cloud and defense contractors face two critical compliance milestones before the end of 2026. FedRAMP requires vendors to submit machine‑readable authorization packages by September 30 2026 and to fully adopt NIST SP 800‑53 Revision 5 controls by September 30 2027. The Department of Defense’s CMMC...
OMB Seeks Details From Agencies on Their Commercial Buying, or Lack Thereof
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued a memo demanding agencies detail their commercial versus non‑commercial acquisitions under President Trump’s 2025 executive order. Agencies must report every non‑commercial contract awarded between April and September 2025 by May 4, and justify...
DOD, GSA Switch Out Contractors for Resource Support Program
The Defense Department and GSA have terminated Accenture Federal Services’ lead‑contractor role on Military OneSource and awarded the contract to Leidos. The new agreement carries a ceiling of $456.3 million and will support the program’s 4.7 million participants. Military OneSource offers 24/7...
AI and CMMC: A Double-Edge Sword for Defense Contractors
The Pentagon’s CMMC program forces defense contractors to safeguard controlled unclassified information, and the surge of generative AI has complicated compliance by expanding assessment boundaries and introducing new attack vectors. Employees may inadvertently feed CUI into commercial large‑language models, risking...
Z SofTech Challenges How NASA Delivered Its SEWP VI Elimination Notice
Z SofTech Solutions has asked the Government Accountability Office to revisit its dismissal of a protest against NASA’s SEWP VI contract elimination. The company argues the notice was sent to an unmonitored email address, delaying its response and causing a missed...
The GovCon Uncertainty Principle: Navigating the 2026 Market Collision
The article compares the 2026 federal contracting landscape to the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle, arguing that recent workforce cuts and the FAR Part 12 "commercial‑first" mandate have upended traditional relationship‑driven win strategies. Contractors must now prioritize speed, commercial product alignment, and a...
GSA Drops 'Disadvantaged' From Small Business Office Name
The General Services Administration announced it is renaming its Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization to the Office of Small Business. The rebranding reflects the Trump administration’s broader effort to roll back diversity, equity and inclusion programs, though the...
State Embarks on Search for New Content Management Software Platform
The U.S. State Department issued a request for information seeking a commercial‑off‑the‑shelf cloud content‑management platform. The solution must be FedRAMP High and DoD Impact Level 4 certified, offer no‑code configuration, and include at least 1,500 pre‑built integrations with SaaS tools like...
Kentro, Lynker Elevate New CEOs From Within
Federal IT modernization firm Kentro restructured its leadership, elevating Tom Swerdzewski and Tom Fogarty to co‑CEO roles overseeing delivery operations and growth technology, respectively, while longtime CEO Pinakin Patel moved to board chair. The company, which generated roughly $250 million in...