NASA Awards Spectrum Management And Engineering Services Contract

Michael Curie

Headquarters, Washington     

 

Cynthia M. O'Carroll

Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.

GREENBELT, Md. -- NASA has modified a letter contract with ASRC Research and Technology Solutions of Greenbelt, Md., for Spectrum Management, Engineering Services and Programmatic Resource Management Support.

This cost-plus-fixed fee, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract has a base value of $36,238,225.61 with a maximum task order value of an additional $10 million, for a total potential contract value of $46,238,225.61.

This contract was awarded as non-competitive under the Small Business Administration (SBA) 8(a) program to ASRC, an Alaskan native firm. ASRC Research and Technology Solutions is a subsidiary of ASRC of Anchorage, Alaska.

Under this contract, ASRC will perform required technical support and engineering studies in support of NASA's requirements for spectrum allocations and assignments and support the coordination of national and international spectrum management organizations related to the agency's mission needs, as well as its support of the U.S. commercial space communications industry.

For more information about NASA and agency programs, visit http://www.nasa.gov.

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Technology Today’s Host Ajay Gupta to Interview Email Innovator and 2011 Stevie Award Finalist, Raj Kherra, CEO of MailerMailer

On June 16th, the #1 rated technology talk show on Internet Radio discusses the innovations in business and personal technology and their influence on business diversity.

Innovations in business and personal technology are occurring faster than we can comprehend or keep up with. Everyone claims that innovation is critical for thriving business and a growing economy. As the business landscape become more and more digital, we need to understand how to be innovative in this new ecosystem and how to use technology to innovate in all areas of business, from sales and marketing to product development and customer service.

This week, we speak with Raj Khera, CEO of MailerMailer, whose mission is to provide a robust, do-it-yourself email marketing solution with powerful message creation features and an elegant, user-friendly email management system.

Reshaping the e-mail marketing management system – MailerMalier was named a 2011 finalist in the Computer Services category for a Stevie Award for its industry-leading Email Marketing Metrics Report.

When we speak with Raj, we’ll break down how the Email Marketing Metrics Report was created and how the final report relays critical data that allows businesses to analyze and improve the effectiveness of their email campaign’s performance by comparing their progress to a variety of industry benchmarks.

We’ll also discuss how innovations that help businesses diversify and grow can come in many shapes and sizes and from unexpected areas.

Join Us!

Also, we’re now on the BlogTalkRadio network. Technology Today continues to air on Thursdays at 4PM and we still take calls, texts, emails from our listeners. Our new call-in number is (323) 410-0032. Our new show page is http://www.blogtalkradio.com/technologytoday.

Please contact Sandra Schwartzman at (301) 230 – 0045 x 100 or sschwartzman@rmr.com with any questions or if you’d like to be connected to the Host of Technology Today, Ajay Gupta.

About Technology Today

Technology Today is the #1 rated technology talk show on Internet radio for a rapidly growing worldwide audience of people who are curious about technology and who need an interactive information channel that can help them make sense of how innovations in business and personal technologies are shaping our lives. Created and hosted by cybersecurity authority Ajay Gupta, Technology Today also offers tech-driven sponsors an uncommon branding platform that delivers precision-targeted messages to a self-selected, self-perpetuating community of predisposed enthusiasts who are open to innovation and, therefore, new ways of thinking and doing.  Unlike traditional talk radio programs, Technology Today creates an online community in which listeners, guests and sponsors can come to know the issues, people and organizations driving development and deployment of technologies that are changing lives and shaping the future. Technology Today air Live on Thursdays at 4pm Eastern, is available on the BlogTalkRadio network.  For more information on Technology Today please visit http://www.blogtalkradio.com/technologytoday, or follow the show through Facebook, Twitter or the show's blog

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Navy Signs Agreement to Increase Energy-Related Development

From NSWC Carderock Division - Ship Systems Engineering Station Public Affairs

PHILADELPHIA (NNS) -- The Navy signed a five-year agreement with three Philadelphia region organizations to establish programs supporting collaboration with small businesses, educational institutions, and nonprofit entities to increase energy-related development, May 23.

The ceremony was held at the Philadelphia Navy Yard's Innovation Center.

The Naval Surface Warfare Center Carderock Division – Ship Systems Engineering Station (NSWCCD-SSES), a Naval Sea Systems Command field activity, entered into the partnership intermediary agreement with the Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Southeastern Pennsylvania, the Delaware Valley Industrial Resource Corporation (DVIRC), and the Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation (PIDC).

"This agreement builds on our partnerships with Ben Franklin, DVIRC and PIDC to leverage our combined strengths and capabilities to develop and advance new technologies," said Capt. Alexander Desroches, NSWCCD-SSES commanding officer.

In fiscal year 2010, NSWCCD-SSES awarded $293 million in contracts to small businesses in the Philadelphia region. Of that, approximately $71 million was awarded to small disadvantaged businesses, $29.8 million to women-owned small businesses, and $4.1 million to service disabled veteran-owned small businesses. The newly signed intermediary agreement increases the level of commitment by NSWCCD-SSES and the partners to the small business community.

"We look forward to working with our partners to continue developing the Philadelphia Navy Yard as an engineering center of excellence, and a hub for clean energy related development," said Desroches.

The agreement creates an environment supporting the growth of manufacturing and technical companies by establishing a regional licensing process for new technologies emerging from the efforts of the partners. Additionally, it leverages regional educational resources and national education programs to support startup and existing businesses' future work force needs in the areas of manufacturing and technology.

The warfare centers are the Navy's principal research, development, test and evaluation assessment activity for surface ship and submarine systems and subsystems. In addition, warfare centers provide depot maintenance and in-service engineering support to ensure the systems fielded today, perform consistently and reliably in the future.

NSWCCD-SSES Philadelphia provides the Navy's primary technical expertise and facilities for naval machinery research, development and life cycle engineering.

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NASA Small Business Technology Transfers Address Critical Needs

David E. Steitz

Headquarters, Washington                                    

WASHINGTON -- NASA has selected 27 small business proposals that address critical research and technology needs for agency programs and projects for final contract negotiations.

The proposals have a combined value of approximately $16.2 million. Proposals were submitted by 27 high-tech firms in 18 states, partnering with 24 research institutions in 19 states. Negotiated individual awards, each with a value of up to $600,000, will be for research projects for two years.

The proposals are included in Phase II of NASA's Small Business Technology Transfer program. The agency's Office of the Chief Technologist manages the program as part of its focus on emerging technologies and efforts to advance technological innovation for NASA and the government.

"Through programs like this, NASA is investing in innovation in America's small businesses and universities," said NASA Chief Technologist Bobby Braun at the agency's headquarters in Washington. "There is no shortage of technological innovators in this country; we simply need to invest in them. Investing in research and technology, the U.S. will not only extend its technological superiority, but also will stimulate our economy, creating new high-tech jobs, products and services all across our country."

The program's innovations address specific technology gaps in NASA missions; provide a foundation for future technology needs; and are complementary to other agency research investments.

Innovative technologies in the program include:

-Information technologies that enable planetary robots to better support human exploration.

-Advanced space power and propulsion technologies that will result in durable, long-life, lightweight, high performance space power and in-space systems to fulfill the nation's exploration goals.

-Modern computational fluid dynamics codes to solve fluid motion equations and enhance the modeling required for a wide range of NASA missions, including subsonic commercial aircraft, rotorcraft, supersonic and hypersonic vehicles and planetary exploration vehicles.

The highly competitive program is a three-phase award system. It provides qualified small businesses, including women-owned and disadvantaged firms, with opportunities to propose innovative ideas meeting specific research and development needs of the federal government. The program requires a collaborative research effort between small businesses and research institutions.

The criteria used to select the winning proposals included technical merit and innovation, Phase I program results, value to NASA, commercial potential and company capabilities.

Phase I is a feasibility study to evaluate the scientific and technical merit of an idea. Awards are for up to 12 months in amounts up to $100,000. Phase II expands on the results of the development in Phase I. Phase III is for the commercialization of the results of Phase II and requires the use of private sector funding.

NASA is required by statue to reserve a portion of agency research and development funds for awards to small businesses. NASA works closely with the Small Business Administration ensuring compliance with federal regulations related to the program.

The Office of the Chief Technologist manages the program through NASA's Ames Research Center at Moffett Field, Calif. Individual projects are managed by NASA's field centers.

For a list of selected companies, visit http://go.usa.gov/TZR.

For more information about NASA's Office of the Chief Technologist, visit http://www.nasa.gov/oct.

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Small Businesses Seek to Strengthen Navy Technology

By Dave Nystrom, Office of Naval Research Public Affairs

ARLINGTON (NNS) -- More than 700 attendees joined the Navy's Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR)/Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) team to seek out entrepreneurial opportunities at an industry event April 10-13 in Madison, Wis.

Held twice yearly, the 2011 National SBIR/STTR Conference equips small businesses with pointers – and points of contact – for doing business with federal agencies. The U.S. Navy leverages both programs to spark ingenuity and competition among industry partners working to fill current technology gaps.

"Through small businesses, we stimulate the high-tech community base to respond to our Navy's needs, and foster entrepreneurial spirit across America," said John Williams, director of the Navy SBIR/STTR program.

The Navy operates both programs with a budget of $375 million to work with more than 900 companies annually. On the SBIR side, award recipients receive seed money to explore solutions to warfighter technology needs.

The award is structured across several phases:

- Phase I provides six months of funding to determine scientific or technical merit.

- Phase II funds ideas with promise for up to two years to develop working prototypes.

- Phase III aims to help companies commercialize their products for sale to the military and private sector.

As a complement to SBIR, the STTR program assists companies with maturing their products for Navy use. It also identifies opportunities to incorporate ideas generated by university and non-profits into the entrepreneurial mix.

"Not all business ideas make it all the way to production or Phase III" said Lee Ann Boyer, Navy SBIR/STTR commercialization pilot program (CPP) manager, "but more than 50 percent report making product sales to the government or private sector within three years, which is very good."

Boyer credits their success to aligning SBIR topics with warfighter needs. Unlike other branches of defense, which rely heavily on the science and technology research community for topics, the Navy SBIR/STTR office works closely with the acquisition community to provide solutions.

As a result, the Navy continues to hold the highest amount in Phase III sales when compared to other SBIR efforts across the Department of Defense.

"Of course every small business we help through the SBIR program has something to contribute to the Navy, and I met hundreds of small business owners at the conference this year," Williams said. "Some are truly pioneers in their work. We publish annual successes, and I hope to see a few of the folks I spoke with this week get highlighted in future publications."

Three recent successes of the Navy's SBIR/STTR program are highlighted in a new video:

- The Smart Fence, a sensor developed by Safety Dynamics, provides a perimeter security solution for military bases and commercial airports.

- The Silver Fox Unmanned Aerial Vehicle developed by Advanced Ceramics Research and acquired by BAE Systems, provides low-cost, high-endurance aerial surveillance for troops in Afghanistan.

- Automated Test and Re-Test (ATRT) solutions developed by Innovative Defense Technologies, reduces software testing time, cost, and speeds up the delivery of higher quality capabilities to the fleet.

Each company took full advantage of the Navy SBIR program and some of its unique tools designed to help businesses succeed, such as Phase II.5 funds, CPP and Technical Risk Identification and Mitigation System, or TRIMS.

The Phase II.5 program provides SBIR funds dedicated to accelerating the transition of existing Phase II projects, and CPP provides non-financial support (like the Transition Assistance Program). Both highlight the Navy's commitment to technology transition. TRIMS offers an online tool that businesses can use to identify key risk areas, track program goals and generate reports to prevent cost and schedule problems downstream.

"The Navy SBIR/STTR Office will continue to make improvements to the process," Williams said. "We want to make it easy to succeed, and when small business wins, Navy wins."

About the Office of Naval Research

The Department of the Navy's Office of Naval Research (ONR) provides the science and technology necessary to maintain the Navy and Marine Corps' technological advantage. Through its affiliates, ONR is a leader in science and technology with engagement in 50 states, 70 countries, 1,035 institutions of higher learning and 914 industry partners. ONR employs approximately 1,400 people, comprising uniformed, civilian and contract personnel, with additional employees at the Naval Research Lab in Washington, D.C.

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