Inside Air Force Intelligence: NASIC's $480 Million Search for Expertise

In this episode, we break down the Advisory Support & Technical Requirement Administration (ASTRA) MA-IDIQ, a $477 million Multiple Award IDIQ from the Department of the Air Force. With a focus on systems engineering, R&D prioritization, intelligence analysis, project management, and organizational studies, this contract offers substantial opportunities under NAICS 541330.

We’ll explore key requirements, strategic positioning, and insights to help your business prepare for the anticipated June 2025 RFP release. If you're looking to expand into high-value defense contracts, this is a must-listen.

🎧 Listen now to get ahead of the competition!

Contact ProposalHelper at sales@proposalhelper.com to find similar opportunities and help you build a realistic and winning pipeline.

Chapters

• 0:00 Understanding NASIC's Sources Sought Notice
• 3:02 Contract Structure and Small Business Opportunities
• 6:09 The $480 Million Intelligence Investment
• 7:06 Advanced Technologies: EO, Radar, and Cyber
• 11:01 Data Science, AI, and Future Technologies
• 13:18 Security Requirements and Response Instructions
• 16:15 The Future of Air and Space Intelligence

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

You ever wonder how the Air Force keeps up with all the crazy new tech coming out in air and space.

Speaker 2: 0:05

Yeah.

Speaker 1: 0:06

There's got to be a ton of information to keep track of.

Speaker 2: 0:08

There really is.

Speaker 1: 0:09

And we've got these documents here, that kind of pull back the curtain a bit on at least part of that process.

Speaker 2: 0:15

Yeah, you can see how they actually go about finding out what's out there Exactly.

Speaker 1: 0:19

Yeah, so we're talking about a sources sought notice from the United States Air Force, specifically the National Air and Space Intelligence Center.

Speaker 2: 0:28

NASIC.

Speaker 1: 0:29

NASIC down at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio.

Speaker 2: 0:32

Ohio is a hub for a lot of this kind of work.

Speaker 1: 0:34

Yeah, and you know, at first glance you might think sources sought notice Like what is that? Sounds boring.

Speaker 2: 0:40

Eurocratic.

Speaker 1: 0:41

But it's really not. For people like us, this is like gold. Oh yeah, this is really fascinating stuff. So basically, what this is is NASIC kind of putting out a request and saying, hey, we need help understanding all this wild new tech and figuring out you know what the potential threats are out there in the air and space. It's all about finding the right expertise, the right companies. Yeah, think about it like this it's all about finding the right expertise, the right companies.

Speaker 2: 1:03

Yeah, think about it like this they need the best of the best to help them make sense of, you know, incredibly complex tech.

Speaker 1: 1:11

Right.

Speaker 2: 1:11

And figure out what could be a threat. You know what are other countries developing, what capabilities are out there that we need to be aware of that kind of thing.

Speaker 1: 1:19

Yeah, and this is really just the beginning of the process. This isn't about you know who's actually gotten a contract or anything like that. This is just about NASIC going out and saying, OK, who's out there?

Speaker 2: 1:29

Who can help us with this? Finding the right partners? You could say.

Speaker 1: 1:33

Exactly, exactly so for our deep dives. Today, we're going to take a close look at what kind of support NASIC is asking for, the kinds of technologies they're interested in.

Speaker 2: 1:44

Which is a lot.

Speaker 1: 1:45

It's a big list, yeah, and what this all tells us about, you know, the future of air and space intelligence. What are they worried about? What are they keeping an eye on? That kind of thing, exactly. So this document is specifically about what they call advisory and assistant services, a and A-S. Yeah, so we're not talking about like yeah, a and A-S.

Speaker 2: 2:02

Yeah, so we're not talking about, like you know, not your typical contractor.

Speaker 1: 2:04

Right, not hiring a plumber or something.

Speaker 2: 2:06

Right, exactly.

Speaker 1: 2:07

This is about bringing in outside experts to give NASIC really solid objective.

Speaker 2: 2:14

Unbiased.

Speaker 1: 2:15

Yeah, unbiased advice on some pretty critical issues.

Speaker 2: 2:19

And they're really serious about that unbiased part.

Speaker 1: 2:21

Oh yeah, yeah, it's actually written right into the note.

Speaker 2: 2:24

You're not messing around.

Speaker 1: 2:26

Yeah, any company that wants to provide these you know advisory services.

Speaker 2: 2:30

Yeah.

Speaker 1: 2:30

Can't be working on other NASIC contracts at the same time.

Speaker 2: 2:34

Right, no conflict of interest.

Speaker 1: 2:35

Yeah, because you know, if you're working on a contract for NASIC, your advice might be kind of well.

Speaker 2: 2:42

A little too convenient, yeah, a little slanted Right.

Speaker 1: 2:45

So it's really trying to avoid that and make sure that they're getting the most.

Speaker 2: 2:48

Objective Objective Pure analysis.

Speaker 1: 2:50

Yeah, analysis possible.

Speaker 2: 2:52

Because I mean think about the implications here. These are serious issues.

Speaker 1: 2:56

Oh yeah.

Speaker 2: 2:57

National security advanced tech. They need to know they're getting the straight story.

Speaker 1: 3:02

Absolutely, absolutely, absolutely Okay. So let's talk about the way this contract might be set up. So they're thinking about a multi-award, indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contract.

Speaker 2: 3:16

IDIQ.

Speaker 1: 3:17

IDIQ. Yeah, I know it's a mouthful.

Speaker 2: 3:19

It is a bit of a jargony term.

Speaker 1: 3:20

It is, but the idea is actually pretty simple.

Speaker 2: 3:23

Yeah, it's basically saying we're going to have a pool of qualified companies, right, and then we'll pick from that pool for specific projects as they come up. So it's efficient. You don't have to start from scratch every time.

Speaker 1: 3:37

Yeah, and it gives the government a lot of flexibility, right. Because they don't know exactly what they're going to need.

Speaker 2: 3:41

Right, things change fast, exactly.

Speaker 1: 3:43

So here's where it gets interesting for businesses, especially small businesses. They're actually thinking about reserving part of this work just for small businesses.

Speaker 2: 3:53

That's a big opportunity.

Speaker 1: 3:55

Yeah, or even having like separate tracks where big companies compete against each other Right. And small companies compete against each other.

Speaker 2: 4:00

Leveling the playing field a bit.

Speaker 1: 4:02

Yeah, exactly, exactly, but there's a catch, of course it's the government right Always a catch right. So there's this rule FAR 52.21914E1. Okay and it basically says that to set aside work for small businesses, at least two small businesses have to be able to do at least half the work. So you know if you're a small business out there.

Speaker 2: 4:28

You got to be able to show you can handle it.

Speaker 1: 4:30

You got to show you can handle it. Yeah, maybe you team up with another small business.

Speaker 2: 4:33

Partner up. Yeah, exactly, jay Gentry.

Speaker 1: 4:36

Exactly that kind of thing. Yeah, so, and even if they don't end up setting aside the whole thing for small businesses, there's still rules about subcontracting, right.

Speaker 2: 4:46

Right. So even the big companies, they still have to involve small businesses.

Speaker 1: 4:51

Yeah, things like FAR 52.219.

Speaker 2: 4:54

Right the Small Business Subcontracting Plan.

Speaker 1: 4:56

Exactly, exactly, okay, so now let's talk about the money. The dollars and cents, the dollars and cents Right, because you know it's a business.

Speaker 2: 5:03

Always comes down to that, yeah.

Speaker 1: 5:04

Exactly so. They're thinking about using a couple of different types of sea lions.

Speaker 2: 5:10

Sea lions.

Speaker 1: 5:11

Contract line item numbers.

Speaker 2: 5:13

Oh, right yeah.

Speaker 1: 5:14

Yeah, it's just government jargon.

Speaker 2: 5:16

Acronyms Right Gotta love them.

Speaker 1: 5:18

So for the labor the people actually doing the work they're looking at either firm fixed price.

Speaker 2: 5:24

Where the price is set up front.

Speaker 1: 5:26

Yeah, exactly.

Speaker 2: 5:27

No matter what.

Speaker 1: 5:28

Or cost plus fixed fee.

Speaker 2: 5:29

Where they reimburse costs and add a fee on top.

Speaker 1: 5:32

Right, right. And then for things like travel and materials and all that they're looking at, cost reimbursable CLANs.

Speaker 2: 5:39

Okay.

Speaker 1: 5:40

So you know, this is all just kind of giving companies an idea of how the financials might work.

Speaker 2: 5:44

Right, so they can start thinking about how to bid.

Speaker 1: 5:47

Exactly, and the total value of this whole contract? Get this, it could be up to $480 million.

Speaker 2: 5:53

Wow, that's a big chunk of change.

Speaker 1: 5:55

Yeah, that's over five years.

Speaker 2: 5:56

Still, that shows you, how seriously they're taking this. They're willing to invest to get the expertise they need.

Speaker 1: 6:03

Absolutely, absolutely Okay. So now here's the part. I'm the tech, the tech, yeah. What are they actually looking for? What?

Speaker 2: 6:09

are they worried?

Speaker 1: 6:09

about Exactly. So they have this big list of mission sets and it's really fascinating. So they're looking at everything from electro-optical that's EO.

Speaker 2: 6:18

Which is basically about using light to capture images.

Speaker 1: 6:21

Right right.

Speaker 2: 6:22

Yeah.

Speaker 1: 6:23

But it goes way beyond just taking pictures.

Speaker 2: 6:25

Oh yeah, it can get really sophisticated yeah like spectral analysis and all kinds of things. Yeah, you can figure out all sorts of things about an object just from the light it reflects.

Speaker 1: 6:33

Exactly, or emits yeah.

Speaker 2: 6:35

It's pretty amazing.

Speaker 1: 6:36

Yeah, so then they're looking at synthetic aperture radar.

Speaker 2: 6:39

SAR yeah, that's the one that can see through clouds and stuff. Yeah, even at night, really powerful Right right. And then multi-hyperspectral imagery M HSI.

Speaker 1: 6:50

Yeah, that's kind of like EO on steroids right.

Speaker 2: 6:52

It is. It's like looking at light in a whole new way.

Speaker 1: 6:54

Yeah, way beyond what our eyes can see.

Speaker 2: 6:57

Right, you can identify materials, see things that are hidden. It's really valuable for intelligence gathering.

Speaker 1: 7:04

Absolutely Okay. So then there's thermal infrared.

Speaker 2: 7:07

TIR. That's all about heat signatures.

Speaker 1: 7:09

Yeah, like those night vision goggles.

Speaker 2: 7:11

Exactly, you can see things in the dark based on their heat. And then there's LIDAR, which uses lasers to create those really detailed 3D maps.

Speaker 1: 7:21

Right, right, and that's just like the first page of the list.

Speaker 2: 7:24

It's incredible.

Speaker 1: 7:25

I know it's crazy. So then they get into radar.

Speaker 2: 7:28

Which is a whole world in itself.

Speaker 1: 7:30

Oh yeah, all kinds of radar Airborne radar, ground-based radar, which?

Speaker 2: 7:34

is a whole world in itself. Oh yeah, all kinds of radar Airborne radar, ground-based radar, passive coherent location PCL, PCL. Yeah, that one's really interesting you can detect things without emitting any signals yourself.

Speaker 1: 7:41

Yeah, so it's really stealthy.

Speaker 2: 7:43

Very sneaky.

Speaker 1: 7:44

Exactly. Then there's jammers.

Speaker 2: 7:47

To disrupt signals Right To create chaos.

Speaker 1: 7:49

And direct energy weapons.

Speaker 2: 7:51

D-U-W. Now we're talking serious stuff.

Speaker 1: 7:54

Yeah, that's like lasers and microwaves and all kinds of things.

Speaker 2: 7:57

Yeah, stuff that can really do some damage.

Speaker 1: 7:59

Right, right. So this really shows you that they're thinking about all the different ways that warfare might be conducted in the future.

Speaker 2: 8:07

Not just bombs and missiles anymore.

Speaker 1: 8:08

Exactly, exactly. And then they get into cyber electronic warfare, ew.

Speaker 2: 8:16

EW. Yeah, that's a big one these days.

Speaker 1: 8:18

Oh yeah.

Speaker 2: 8:18

Huge Everything's connected, so electronic warfare is a major threat.

Speaker 1: 8:23

Yeah, and then tools and all source analysis for C4ISR. Now that's a mouse.

Speaker 2: 8:29

C4ISR yeah, command control communications computers intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, Exactly. So it's basically like all the different ways that the military gathers information, all the sensors, all the data.

Speaker 1: 8:42

Yeah.

Speaker 2: 8:43

And they need help making sense of it all.

Speaker 1: 8:45

Right, because it's not just about having the data.

Speaker 2: 8:47

Right, you got to analyze it, put the pieces together.

Speaker 1: 8:50

Yeah, see the big picture.

Speaker 2: 8:51

Connect the dots.

Speaker 1: 8:52

Exactly, exactly. So then there's a four material exploitation, FME.

Speaker 2: 8:56

FME. Yeah, that's basically like taking apart enemy weapons and figuring out how they work.

Speaker 1: 9:01

Right, so we can understand their strengths and weaknesses.

Speaker 2: 9:03

Exactly reverse engineer them.

Speaker 1: 9:05

Yeah, and then persistent infrared PIR.

Speaker 2: 9:08

PIR, that's about keeping a constant watch from above.

Speaker 1: 9:11

Using satellites and stuff.

Speaker 2: 9:13

Right Really important for early warning.

Speaker 1: 9:15

Yeah, something's coming at us we want to know about it Exactly. Okay, so then there's data fusion.

Speaker 2: 9:20

Taking data from different sources and combining it to get a more complete picture.

Speaker 1: 9:25

Right, because one sensor might not tell you everything. Exactly, so you need to put it all together, and then projectory reconstruction for air and missile systems.

Speaker 2: 9:33

That's like figuring out where something's been and where it's going.

Speaker 1: 9:37

Yeah, like if a missile is launched, they want to know where it came from.

Speaker 2: 9:41

Right and where it might be headed.

Speaker 1: 9:42

Exactly, exactly. Then there's visualization.

Speaker 2: 9:45

Making the data understandable.

Speaker 1: 9:47

Right, because you could have all the data in the world, but if you can't make sense of it, it's useless. It's useless, so they need people who can turn data into something that you know analysts can understand.

Speaker 2: 9:57

Right Charts, graphs, maps, that kind of thing.

Speaker 1: 10:00

Exactly, exactly, okay. So then there's ground-based and airborne EO again. So they're really interested in EO. Huh yeah, it seems like a really important area for them.

Speaker 2: 10:10

Makes sense. It's a fundamental technology.

Speaker 1: 10:12

Yeah, and then mission planning for radar for SNTI.

Speaker 2: 10:15

SNTI.

Speaker 1: 10:16

Science and technology. Okay, yeah, so this is about planning how to use radar for research and development.

Speaker 2: 10:22

Not just for operations, but for pushing the boundaries of what's possible.

Speaker 1: 10:26

Exactly, exactly. And then they get into all these different types of radar, over-the-horizon radar.

Speaker 2: 10:32

OT, OT. That's the one that can see really far away.

Speaker 1: 10:34

Yeah, by bouncing signals off the atmosphere.

Speaker 2: 10:36

Crazy stuff.

Speaker 1: 10:37

Then there's line-of-sight radar LOS.

Speaker 2: 10:39

LOS, the more traditional kind of radar Right then non-cooperative target identification radar NCTI. Ncti. That's about figuring out what something is without it telling you.

Speaker 1: 10:51

Yeah, and then bi-static radar, which is kind of complicated.

Speaker 2: 10:54

Yeah, that one uses separate transmitters and receivers.

Speaker 1: 10:57

Right, right. So they're really looking at the whole spectrum of radar technology, all the different ways to use it. Exactly.

Speaker 2: 11:02

Very comprehensive.

Speaker 1: 11:03

And then there's laser technology.

Speaker 2: 11:05

Lasers Always cool.

Speaker 1: 11:07

And radio frequency RF data sources.

Speaker 2: 11:11

RF yeah, that's a big one.

Speaker 1: 11:12

Yeah, all kinds of signals out there.

Speaker 2: 11:13

And then airborne EO again.

Speaker 1: 11:15

Yeah, so they're really interested in EO.

Speaker 2: 11:17

I'm sensing a pattern here.

Speaker 1: 11:19

And then threat weapon systems technical intelligence.

Speaker 2: 11:22

That's about understanding how the other guy's weapons work.

Speaker 1: 11:25

Yeah, so we can figure out how to counter them.

Speaker 2: 11:27

Exactly.

Speaker 1: 11:28

And then technical reverse design and modeling.

Speaker 2: 11:29

Taking things apart and figuring out how to build them ourselves.

Speaker 1: 11:33

Basically.

Speaker 2: 11:34

Or at least understand how they work.

Speaker 1: 11:35

Right, right and then even weapon systems operations.

Speaker 2: 11:38

So they're not just interested in the tech itself.

Speaker 1: 11:41

Right.

Speaker 2: 11:41

But also how it's used.

Speaker 1: 11:42

Exactly exactly. Okay, so then they get into IT, information technology.

Speaker 2: 11:47

IT yeah, the backbone of everything these days.

Speaker 1: 11:50

Oh yeah, and cloud computing and cloud development, the cloud got to have the cloud. Right, and then data science and data engineering.

Speaker 2: 11:57

Making sense of all that data.

Speaker 1: 11:59

Yeah, because they're collecting a ton of data.

Speaker 2: 12:01

Petabytes probably Probably yeah.

Speaker 1: 12:03

And then they're looking at ways to update their old systems. Legacy architectures yeah and integrate all these new technologies Like high-performance computing, hpc, hpc, yeah, and even quantum computing.

Speaker 2: 12:14

Quantum computing that's the future.

Speaker 1: 12:15

Yeah, it's still early days, but it has huge potential. Definitely so they're really thinking ahead.

Speaker 2: 12:21

Long-term vision.

Speaker 1: 12:22

Exactly exactly. And then, of course, data management and governance.

Speaker 2: 12:26

Got to keep all that data safe and organized, Absolutely absolutely.

Speaker 1: 12:29

Yeah, okay. So then there's artificial intelligence and machine learning, aml.

Speaker 2: 12:34

AML yeah, that's a big one for automating analysis.

Speaker 1: 12:36

Yeah, because there's just so much data that humans can't keep up.

Speaker 2: 12:39

Right, you need machines to help you sift through it all.

Speaker 1: 12:42

Exactly, exactly, and then, finally, they have this catch-all category.

Speaker 2: 12:46

Other related technologies.

Speaker 1: 12:47

Yeah, basically, yeah, basically anything else that might be relevant.

Speaker 2: 12:50

Because who knows what the future holds right.

Speaker 1: 12:52

Exactly, technology is always changing.

Speaker 2: 12:54

Always evolving.

Speaker 1: 12:55

So they want to be prepared for anything.

Speaker 2: 12:57

Makes sense.

Speaker 1: 12:58

Okay, so beyond just the technical stuff, they're also looking for some other important skills.

Speaker 2: 13:03

Like what.

Speaker 1: 13:03

Well, things like program management.

Speaker 2: 13:05

Got to keep these projects on track.

Speaker 1: 13:07

Yeah, because these are big, complex projects, lots of moving parts, and they need people who understand the intelligence community.

Speaker 2: 13:13

Right all the different agencies and how they work together.

Speaker 1: 13:16

And they need AML expertise and software development skills.

Speaker 2: 13:19

To build the tools they need.

Speaker 1: 13:21

Exactly exactly. And, of course, security is a huge concern.

Speaker 2: 13:24

Of course, with this kind of sensitive information.

Speaker 1: 13:28

Yeah, so they need companies that can handle top secret SEI level facilities.

Speaker 2: 13:33

SEIs.

Speaker 1: 13:34

SEIs, yeah, and they need people with really high level clearances.

Speaker 2: 13:38

SAP cap clearances CI polygraphs.

Speaker 1: 13:41

Yeah, all that stuff, because they're dealing with some really sensitive information.

Speaker 2: 13:45

The highest levels of secrecy.

Speaker 1: 13:47

Yeah, and they need access to other secure facilities too.

Speaker 2: 13:50

Not just their own.

Speaker 1: 13:51

Right, right and maybe most importantly, they need companies that can attract and keep really talented people.

Speaker 2: 13:56

That's always a challenge.

Speaker 1: 13:58

Oh yeah, Especially in these fields. It's competitive, very competitive, yeah, okay, so now let's talk about some of the contracting stuff, the business side of things. Right, right, so they're looking for companies that have experience with different pricing models, like firm fixed price and cost plus fixed fee.

Speaker 2: 14:17

Yeah, exactly, and they prefer companies that have worked with the government before, at least in a similar industry, right, right.

Speaker 1: 14:20

And they want companies that either already have a SEIF that's close to NASIC within 25 miles yeah, or they can get one bill quickly six months yeah, six months after they get the contract yeah so they're really looking for companies that can hit the ground running.

Speaker 2: 14:34

They need help now.

Speaker 1: 14:35

Exactly, exactly so. This whole sources sought notice is basically a call for companies to come forward.

Speaker 2: 14:43

Show them what you got.

Speaker 1: 14:43

Yeah, and tell NASIC what they can do.

Speaker 2: 14:45

And be specific.

Speaker 1: 14:46

Oh yeah, they want details.

Speaker 2: 14:48

No, vague generalities no, they want details no.

Speaker 1: 14:50

Vague generalities no. They want to see proof.

Speaker 2: 14:51

Experience capabilities, all laid out clearly.

Speaker 1: 14:55

Exactly, exactly, and even if a company doesn't have experience in every single area, they can still respond.

Speaker 2: 15:02

Yeah, but they got to explain how they'll fill those gaps.

Speaker 1: 15:05

Right, maybe they can team up with another company.

Speaker 2: 15:07

Partnerships are key.

Speaker 1: 15:08

Exactly so if you're out there and you think your company might be a good fit.

Speaker 2: 15:12

Here's what you do.

Speaker 1: 15:14

Here's what you do you email Meredith Budding at usafmil.

Speaker 2: 15:19

And Margaret Lennon at usafmil.

Speaker 1: 15:22

Exactly.

Speaker 2: 15:22

Those are the folks in charge.

Speaker 1: 15:23

Yeah, and you have until 2.0000 pm Eastern Time on November 29th 2024.

Speaker 2: 15:32

Mark your calendars.

Speaker 1: 15:33

And one really important thing your response has to be unclassified. No classified info no classified info. Yeah, they're very specific about that.

Speaker 2: 15:41

Makes sense.

Speaker 1: 15:42

So just to kind of sum up what we've learned today Right, nasic is looking for a really wide range of expertise in air and space technologies.

Speaker 2: 15:51

Yeah, from the very basic to the super cutting edge.

Speaker 1: 15:54

Exactly, and they're looking at the long game.

Speaker 2: 15:57

This isn't a one-time thing.

Speaker 1: 15:59

No, they need ongoing support.

Speaker 2: 16:00

For years to come.

Speaker 1: 16:02

Exactly, and this document gives us a really good look at what they're focused on.

Speaker 2: 16:05

Yeah, what they see as the biggest threats.

Speaker 1: 16:08

Right and the kind of skills they're going to need to stay ahead of the curve.

Speaker 2: 16:11

It's a glimpse into the future of air and space intelligence.

Speaker 1: 16:15

It really is.

Speaker 2: 16:16

Fascinating stuff.

Speaker 1: 16:17

So it makes you think right.

Speaker 2: 16:18

It does? What kind of analytical capabilities?

Speaker 1: 16:24

are we going to need in the future Beyond what they've listed here? Yeah, because technology is always moving forward.

Speaker 2: 16:26

What's next?

Speaker 1: 16:27

Yeah, what's coming that we haven't even thought of yet?

Speaker 2: 16:30

That's the question, isn't it?

Speaker 1: 16:31

It is.

Speaker 2: 16:32

And that's what makes this field so exciting.

Speaker 1: 16:34

Absolutely, absolutely Well, that's all the time we have for today.

Speaker 2: 16:38

It's been a pleasure. Yeah, thanks for joining me. Always a good time.

Speaker 1: 16:41

And we'll see you all next time for another deep dive. Dive deep, dive, deep, that's right. Stay curious, stay curious.