News

REGIONAL NEWS

The Department of the Air Force awarded an Engineering and Manufacturing Development contract for the Ground Based Strategic Deterrent (GBSD) intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) program to Northrop Grumman on Sept. 8. The contract award of $13.3 billion is an investment in enhancing the United States’ nuclear deterrence, as it is the cornerstone of national security policy and fundamental in continued protection for the U.S. and its allies. Read more.

COVID-19

• Resources for Connecting Industry Capabilities to Requirements in Support of COVID-19 Response
• Practical Advice for Uncertain Times - Surviving COVID-19
• Manufacturing  Changes & Medical Supply Donation in response to COVID-19
• Network Resources
• State Resources
• Raising the Roofs...and Floors: Acquisition Thresholds in the Time of Emergency

WOSB UPDATES

WILL YOU BE WOSB READY?

Becoming certified for the Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB) Federal Contractring Program means your business is eligible to compete for contracts that are set aside for WOSBs and economically disadvantaged WOSBs and sole-source federal contracts within eligible industries. Learn more about the process and steps.

SBA ISSUES NEW REGULATIONS FOR WOMEN-OWNED SMALL BUSINESS FEDERAL CONTRACTING PROGRAM

The U.S. Small Business Administration published Women-Owned Small Business Federal Contracting program regulations that will provide a free, online certification and eligibility application process for women-owned small businesses and economically-disadvantaged women-owned small businesses. The timeline for implementation of changes to SBA’s WOSB program has been delayed to accommodate those affected by the current pandemic. Learn more. 

CYBERSECURITY

DOD'S FIRST AGREEMENT WITH ACCREDITATION BODY ON CONTRACTOR CYBERSECURITY NEARS END

The Defense Department is on the cusp of signing a new agreement with the volunteer organization that has been training auditors for its Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification program, according to DOD’s Katie Arrington, who is leading its implementation. Read more.

Don't miss the related podcast included at the end of the article. 

CMMC AUDITORS ABOUT TO WRAP UP TRAINING

Highly anticipated audits related to the Pentagon’s new Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification process are inching closer, with auditors assigned to evaluate companies expected to complete their training by the end of September, according to the official spearheading the initiative. Read more.

DOD FOCUSES ON MINIMIZING CYBER THREATS TO DEPARTMENT, CONTRACTORS

Cyber threats against the United States and the Defense Department are very real, and efforts related to the department's Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification, released earlier this year, are underway to mitigate risks as they relate to both the department and contractors. Read more.

CMMC REGULATIONS ON THE WAY DESPITE PANDEMIC

The Defense Department’s new high-profile cybersecurity regulations are on schedule for implementation this year despite potential setbacks from the COVID-19 pandemic. Katie Arrington, chief information security officer at the office of the undersecretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment, said the Pentagon will begin rolling out the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification version 1.0 rules this year. Read more.

BETA.SAM NEWS

UNIQUE ENTITY IDENTIFIER UPDATE - TRANSITION NOW SET FOR APRIL 2022

By April of 2022, the federal government will stop using the DUNS number to uniquely identify entities registered in the System for Award Management (SAM). At that point, entities doing business with the federal government will use a unique entity identifier (UEI) created in SAM.gov. They will no longer have to go to a third-party website to obtain their identifier. Learn more.

HOW AND WHEN GSA'S NEW CENTRAL PORTAL WILL LOSE THE 'BETA'

The next major transition to beta.SAM - the FPDS contract award data reporting tools - is coming in October, with the legacy SAM.gov next on deck. Learn more. 

FPDS REPORTS FUNCTIONS COMPLETE INTEGRATION INTO BETA.SAM.GOV ON OCT 17

IAE is pleased to announce that the Federal Procurement Data System (FPDS) reports functions will complete migration into beta.SAM.gov on October 17, 2020. This transition follows a successful soft launch and agile iterative improvement process that began in March 2020. Learn more.

 

There is also a helpful video on How to Drill in Reports. 

The beta.SAM.gov domains contain data that has been migrated from key legacy systems. The domains support two distinct types of federal awards: acquisition and federal assistance. Review the data sets.