IN THE ‘SHARK TANK’
OTA, we could adjust as we went along and evaluate all participants regardless of their means or the nature of their solution set. Tis broad participation was a boon to the government, enabling the Army to tap into leading innovators across the cyberspace community.
In August, the four qualifying vendors (or vendor partnerships) joined us in the Shark Tank. Te evaluation team sat down individually with each of the four to go through their proposals in detail, and put the equipment through lab sce- narios developed by SoSE&I, TRADOC and ARCYBER. Te flexibility of OTA was once again on display, as the collab- orative environment allowed the Army and the vendors to discuss a wide range of
technical and form factor improve-
ments for potential DDI solutions. Te hands-on engagement also uncovered more valuable ideas that the white papers didn’t originally reflect.
In September, based on the demonstra- tion results, the Army entered into OT agreements with two small businesses to deliver limited-quantity prototype DDI equipment, which ARCYBER will now use operationally to determine the best end state for the capability, directly informing procurement decisions for broader fielding. Tese awards came less than four months after the RFI hit the street.
Tese results show that the first round of the Innovation Challenge was a suc- cess. Te Army was able to engage small vendors with leading-edge technology and procure promising equipment
in
just a few months. Membership in the C5 consortium doubled when the Army announced plans to work through C5 for the initial challenge. Now, ACC-NJ is recompeting the Army’s OT agreement so we can further shape the consortium
86
It was revealing to take advantage of mechanisms like OTA and a consor- tium, which exist to give the acquisition community more agile options but are underused. Te ASA(ALT) Cyber Focal office will continue to seek out such
CHALLENGE KICKOFF The Army’s Cyber Innovation Challenge for small and micro businesses was introduced May 28, 2015, with the ASA(ALT) Cyberspace Industry and Innovation Day in McLean, VA. Speakers included Kevin Fahey, left, then-executive director of the ASA(ALT) SoSE&I Directorate, and Ronald Pontius, deputy to the commanding general, U.S. Army Cyber Command and Second Army. (U.S. Army photo by Nancy Jones-Bonbrest, PEO Command, Control and Communications – Tactical)
to reach more nontraditional businesses and meet evolving
cyber needs.
In
November 2015, we held an industry day to kick off the second Innovation Chal- lenge, focused on prototype software solutions to enhance commanders’ cyber situational awareness.
CONCLUSION With the Cyber Innovation Challenge, the Army opened the door to small businesses and met them on their terms, defying acquisition norms to quickly tap into technologies that otherwise might have been missed.
innovative, effective approaches as more cyber equipment moves toward procure- ment. Te tangible progress made so far is only the beginning: As we repeat these processes, we will only get better at execution, to the benefit of cyber Soldiers, small businesses and the greater Army.
For more information, contact Larry Jen- nings, ASA(ALT) Cyber Focal office, at
larry.l.jennings8.ctr@
mail.mil.
COL BRYAN J. STEPHENS is the
Cyber Focal director, ASA(ALT) SoSE&I Directorate. He holds an M.A. in information management from Webster University and a B.A. in political science from Texas A&M University, and is Level III certified in program management. He is a member of the Army Acquisition Corps.
Army AL&T Magazine
January-March 2016
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