CONFIDENCE BOOST


“There had to be a better way.”


TIPPING THE SCALE


No two judging criteria are the same, and some should be weighted more heavily than others. Valid Eval helps xTechSearch judges make data-driven decisions about very complex issues and processes. (Image by Getty Images)


reliable decisions that are in the best inter- est of the Army.


“We have a tremendous amount of interest in the solicitations we put out on the street, and we’re trying to bring innovation back to the SBIR program,” said Willis, who has led the Army Applied SBIR Program for nearly two years. “We want to be expedi- tious in our approach by scouting the tech landscape to determine which technolo- gies respond to not only the Army’s needs, but small business needs as well.”


Te program awards topics that clearly align with the Army’s modernization priorities as well as DOD’s key science and technology areas, such as artificial intelligence and machine learning, and advanced materials and communication technologies, which dictate the Army’s investment decisions. To make this happen, the program is shifting from a passive, topic-driven approach to the newly created transition broker team construct, which manages a centralized portfolio and synchronizes among stakeholders to iden- tify the best emerging technical solutions while integrating all program activities.


A crucial step in determining which companies meet these urgent Army prior- ities is providing unbiased decisions as quickly as possible and giving transparent feedback. Even if companies don’t receive an award, they can understand how they can pivot their proposal or technology to be more viable in the future.


Valid Eval was awarded a new task order on its Phase III indefinite duration, indef- inite quantity SBIR contract with the General Services Administration. It also won an Air Force Phase I SBIR in 2018 and secured a Phase II from the Air Force in early 2019.


Valid Eval is now the primary tool for evaluating proposals that small busi- nesses submit to the Army Applied SBIR Program. It allows the program to set clear expectations for how a company will be evaluated, collate responses and reviews from experts, give an unbiased assessment, and provide data-backed recommendations to Army leaders on the best proposals.


“We’re empowering our program manag- ers to make decisions under the best interest of the Army, and have those deci- sions be supported by a data-driven tool,” Willis said.


CONCLUSION With technology constantly evolving, the Army must always progress and improve in order to deter and defeat adversaries. Iden- tifying technologies, providing funding, prototyping, and implementing solutions can be a long process, so time-saving tools are a must—and Valid Eval hits the mark for efficiency.


“Te shared mission is to make innova- tion better for the DOD,” Rentschler said. “Te really cool thing about our partner- ship with xTech and SBIR is that they are willing to take some smart risks and do things differently than they’ve done in the past, which is why collaboration is key to these relationships.”


Collaboration with small businesses like Valid Eval, along with Army prize competitions and other contracting mech- anisms, demonstrate how distinct entities can work together. Te goal is to create innovative processes to bring trust, effi- ciency and improved performance to the materiel development process and drive research and development and acquisition programs to find the best technology and partners for government programs.


“We now have a process that makes acqui- sition better for the DOD—and that’s thanks to a partnership between the federal government and a small business,” Willis said. “Tese crucial partnerships not only foster, strengthen and encourage the role of small businesses, but also help us modernize our world-class military and transition life-saving technology into the hands of our Soldiers.”


For more information, go to https://www. armysbir.army.mil/.


STEPHANIE PRICE provides contract


support to the Army Applied SBIR Office for Booz Allen Hamilton. She holds an M.A. in communication from Te Johns Hopkins University and a B.A. in communications studies from West Chester University.


ANNA VOLKWINE provides contract support to the Army xTech Program for Booz Allen Hamilton. She holds a B.A. in communications from Mount St. Mary’s University.


60 Army AL&T Magazine Fall 2021


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