Uncertain budgets hit small businesses hard

Budget cuts, gridlock in Congress, regulatory burdens, rising corporate costs and a climate of fiscal uncertainty are proving more troublesome for smaller government contractors, a panel of chief executives officers said today in Washington.

“The impact of this is largely felt most on the small businesses,” said John Jumper, chairman and chief executive officer of Science Applications International Corp., speaking today at a National Press Club Newsmaker news conference on the future of government contracting in an era of sequestration.

BAE wins $37.8M naval air contract

BAE Systems has won a $37.8 million contract modification to provide engineering and technical services and supplies for full life cycle support of systems in support of the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division.

Under the cost-plus-fixed-fee contract, BAE will provide services in support of communication-electronic platform, equipment, systems and subsystems in support of the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division’s Special Communications Requirements Division, the Defense Department said in a release.

Jacobs nabs Air Force contract for engineering, acquisition services

Jacobs Technology Inc. has won a $14.4 million contract to provide the U.S. Air Force with engineering and technology acquisition support services.

Under the cost-plus-fixed-fee, cost-reimbursable contract, the company will provide engineering services and support, technical support, provisioning and logistics, modeling and simulation, configuration and data management, architectural support, test and evaluation, security engineering and certification, capability-based planning, commercial-off-the-shelf integration, integrated master plans and scheduling and technical reviews.

Sevatec wins $117M contract with Federal Highway Administration

Sevatec Inc. has won a $117 million, single-award contract with the Transportation Department to provide it with  nationwide IT services to the Federal Highway Administration.

This contract is known as the Information Technology Support Services II, or FITSS II contract.

Are we ashamed of contractors killed in action?

At the beginning of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, it was obvious that contractors would play a historically large role in how those wars were waged.

Once the traditional war fighting was over, contractors were increasingly at risk as they drove convoys, worked as trainers for police forces and were exposed to suicide bombers and other threats.

Aquilent names chief marketing officer

Aquilent has named Helle Huxley chief marketing officer, where she will oversee the company’s marketing efforts.

Huxley will be responsible for all aspects of marketing, including branding, social media, advertising and public relations.

She will also direct new corporate marketing initiatives tied directly to customer communication goals and objectives.

Huxley was previously vice president of marketing for Management Concepts. Before that, she served as vice president of marketing at FedSources & WMG, which became Deltek’s GovWin, the company said in a release.

TASC names new VP of Mission Solutions business

TASC Inc. has named Joseph Pacileo vice president of the company’s Mission Solutions business, where he will oversee TASC operations supporting its intelligence and cyber customers at Fort Meade.

Pacileo joins TASC from ManTech International Corp., where he served as vice president of Cyber Operations. Before ManTech, he was a director at Northrop Grumman, and also has served at the National Security Agency.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from UC Davis, and a M.S.A. degree in administration from Central Michigan University.

SI Org makes deal for part of Telcordia

The SI Organization has acquired Applied Communication Sciences, a company with a history that dates back to the legendary Bell Labs.

Applied Communication Sciences was created as an independent company last year to mitigate U.S. government concerns from the acquisition of Telcordia by Swedish-based Ericsson.

Harris receives $26M order for Falcon III radios

Harris Corp. has received a $26 million order to distribute its Falcon III AN/PRC-117G multiband manpack tactical radios to the U.S. Marine Corps.

These radios form mobile ad-hoc communication networks to exchange voice, video and tactical data reports on the battlefield, Harris said.

Through this order, the Marine Corps will expand its wideband tactical networking capabilities and deliver the tactical Internet down to the individual warfighter.

GD wins subcontract to service littoral combat ships

General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems has won a contract from Austral USA to be the platform systems engineering agency for littoral combat ships 14 and 16.

Ships 14 and 16 are the fifth and sixth ships of the Independence-variant LCS to be ordered by the U.S. Navy under a 10-ship block buy contract awarded in December 2010 to Austal USA, the company said in a release.