Boeing Co was awarded a $3.2 billion contract modification to a previously awarded contract for Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) tailkits, according to the Pentagon.

The contract for the tailkits, which use GPS to boost accuracy for conventional bombs, was raised from an initial $1.75 billion contract awarded on Oct. 30, 2014, due to warfighter demand and to replenish depleted inventories, the Pentagon said in a statement.

The JDAM tailkit converts existing unguided free-fall bombs into accurate, adverse weather “smart” munitions. With the addition of a new tail section that contains an inertial navigational system and a global positioning system guidance control unit, JDAM improves the accuracy of unguided, general purpose bombs in any weather condition.

Once released from the aircraft, the JDAM autonomously navigates to the designated target coordinates. Target coordinates can be loaded into the aircraft before takeoff, manually altered by the aircrew before weapon release, or automatically entered through target designation with onboard aircraft sensors.

With a range of more than 15 nautical miles, JDAM can defeat high-value targets in any weather, day or night, with minimal risk to air crews. This system works fine even in bad weather, because the JDAM gets all its information from satellite signals, which aren’t blocked by cloud cover or obstacles. The bomb doesn’t have to see anything at all to find its way to the target.

New variants such as Laser JDAM and JDAM Extended Range allow warfighters to prosecute moving targets and deploy the weapon from greater distances, capabilities that come with little to no development risk since they are based on proven technology.

The JDAM played a major role in the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, and it will certainly play a significant role in any U.S. bombing campaigns in the near future. While the newest smart bombs aren’t 100 percent accurate, they are such an improvement over their predecessors.

More than 260,000 JDAM kits have been built at Boeing’s production facility in St. Charles, MO.

JDAM is a joint U.S. Air Force and Department of Navy program.

By Debbie Gregory.

With the theme “Dream Big, Start Small,” President Obama declared May 1^st -7^th  as National Small Business Week.

The president said that America’s small businesses are “responsible for creating nearly two-thirds of net new jobs in the United States each year and employing more than half of all Americans.” He added that “small businesses have always been a vital part of our country’s economy. Across America, small businesses support economies, employ local residents, and contribute to the vibrancy of their communities.”

Throughout National Small Business Week, events will be live-streamed and focused on a variety of entrepreneurial topics including: trade, business trends and resources to help you start and grow a business, cyber security, veteran support, targeting millennial entrepreneurs and innovation. In addition there will be workshops on ideation to commercialization, small business opportunities in the entertainment industry and exporting opportunities.

Small businesses support economies, employ local residents, and contribute to their communities.

“Our Nation does best when we help our startups and small businesses expand into new markets and offer goods and services to more people,” said Obama

In 2015, the Obama administration awarded an all-time high of more than a quarter of eligible Federal contracts to small businesses.

The annual event is hosted by the U.S. Small Business Administration and is designed to recognize the nation’s top small businesses, entrepreneurs, and business advocates. The week-long event will continue through May 6, with SBA Administrator Maria Contreras-Sweet hosting planned national events in New York, Denver, Phoenix, Oakland and San Jose, CA.

There are free training webinars covering:

• Taking the Mystery out of Voluntary Benefits
• The Decline of Magstripe Cards—and What That Means for Your Business
• Cloud, Mobile, and Social: Great Apps and Services That Will Grow Your Business
• Access to Capital and Business Loans: Best Practices, Tips for Getting Your Business Financially Fit

To see the city-by-city schedule and to register for the webinars or view live-streamed events please visit www.sba.gov/nsbw.

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has awarded $22.3 billion in contracts to 21 large businesses, small businesses and Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Businesses (SDVOSBs). The contracts will be in support of information technology infrastructure improvements, cyber security and operations and network management. This is a boon for veteran business owners.

The awards are part of VA’s Transformation Twenty-One Total Technology Next Generation acquisition program, also known as T4NG.

“This T4NG award is one of the many ways the Department is supporting the MyVA breakthrough initiatives by directly providing the technology that our Veterans need to support the services they receive from VA,” said Secretary Robert McDonald. “The T4NG will help meet and strengthen VA’s long-term technology needs.”

Of the 21 contract awarded, 10 were made to Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Businesses (SDVOSBs), two awards were made to small businesses, and nine awards were made to large businesses.

T4NG is the largest Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity contract awarded out of the VA. The T4NG program will replace the original T4 multiple-award contract that expires in June 2016.

The Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Businesses awarded the contracts are:

AbleVets, LLC, B3 Group, Inc., Fairfax, VA,  Business Information Technology Solutions, Inc., Falls Church, VA, Favor TechConsulting, LLC, Richmond, VA, Halfaker & Associates, LLC, Arlington, VA, HMS Technologies, LLC, Martinsburg, WV, Intelligent Waves, LLC, Reston, VA, Liberty IT Solutions, LLC, Herndon, VA, Nester Consulting LLC, dba GovernmentCIO, Columbia, MD and TISTA Science and Technology Corp., Rockville, MD.

T4NG is a Multi-Agency (MAC) Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) Multiple Award Task Order (MATO) contract with a base ordering period of 5 years and one 5-year option period, with a program ceiling of $22.3 billion.  The contract is being managed by VA’s Technology Acquisition Center in Eatontown, New Jersey.

We hope the government will continue to seek out and support Veteran Business Owners and Service Disabled Veteran Business Owners and award contracts to them.

HMS Technologies has been awarded one of only ten Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) contracts by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

The contract is for the VA’s Transformation Twenty-One Total Technology Next Generation program, or T4NG. The contract will enable HMS to provide the VA and its employees an avenue to offer veterans, worldwide, the means to quickly access the Department for their specific IT needs, expedite service delivery, and improve filing and speed of processing claims.

“The entire HMS Team is honored to receive this award and we are excited about having this contract vehicle so we can continue to provide VA the Information Technology services that will enhance services that support our veterans,” said HMS CEO Bill Kirkpatrick. “We look forward to continuing our partnership with the VA to serve our nations heroes.”

HMS ranks 68th on the Federal Government’s list of Top 100 Government-wide Acquisition Contractors and was also named SBA’s Small Business of the Year for 2008 in WV.

With an anticipated ceiling value of approximately $22.3 billion, T4NG is the largest Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity contract awarded out of the VA. The T4NG program will replace the original T4 multiple-award contract that expires in June 2016.

HMS was founded in 2003 and is headquartered in Martinsburg, WV.

If you are on VAMBOA’s blog, chances are that you already know that veterans are twice as likely as their civilian counterparts to jump into entrepreneurship. And according to the Small Business Administration (SBA), one in ten small businesses boasts a veteran at the helm.

Why do so many veterans become entrepreneurs post-military? For many, it’s a way to leverage the unique skills they acquired through their service into long term success. It is also a way to contribute to the country’s economy.

There are a number of resources available to aid veteran entrepreneurs to start and grow their businesses. Of course, joining a trade association like VAMBOA is a great step. VAMBOA has numerous resources, including contract opportunities, events, mentorship and more. Membership is free.

The SBA’s Boots to Business training program provides free entrepreneurial training for U.S. veterans. The program is available to service members transitioning or retiring from the U.S. military, as well as to their dependents.

Designed specifically for post-9/11 veterans with service-connected disabilities, the Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans National Program leverages the skills, resources and infrastructure of higher education to offer cutting-edge, experiential training in entrepreneurship and small business management. The aim of the program is to open the door to economic opportunity for our veterans and their families by developing their competencies in creating and sustaining an entrepreneurial venture.

The Microsoft Software & Systems Academy (MSSA) helps active duty U.S. service members develop the career skills necessary to meet the IT industry’s high demand for cloud developers, cloud administrators, and database and business intelligence administrators. Upon successful completion of the program, participants gain an interview for a full-time job at Microsoft or one of their participating partners.

In order to take advantage of these resources, it is important to sure you have the certification you need to verify that your business is veteran-owned. Certification is available through the National Veteran Business Development Council. The turn-around time for certification averages 60 days from the initial application, but can also be fast-tracked if your company has previously been authorized by

• Center for Verification and Evaluation (CVE)
• National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC)
• The Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC)
• National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC)

The cost to submit an application is based on revenues.