WT 360: The market from all angles

NCI Information Systems is navigating its way past some headwinds with a focus on artificial intelligence solutions and a move away from low-price contracts. In another of our Top 100 podcasts, CEO Paul Dillahay tells Editor Nick Wakeman where the company sees its future opportunities and some early signs of success along with challenges he sees on the horizon.

The last month has brought more than its share of important news for government contractors as well as their agency customers. In this Project 38 podcast a panel of leading journalists discuss some of the pressing topics of concern for the GovCon market. FCW Executive Editor Adam Mazmanian, Washington Technology Senior Staff Writer Ross Wilkers, and FCW Senior Editor Lauren Williams join WT Editor Nick Wakeman to discuss topics such as the latest activity around CMMC, the extension of the CARES Act and the looming possibility of a government shutdown in December.

In part two of our interview with Leidos' business development chief Roy Stevens, he talks about how the 2016 merger with Lockheed Martin's services business continues to pay dividends today and how more recent acquisitions are positioning the company for new opportunities. Even though Leidos is the No. 1 company on our Top 100, it sees a need to evolve and grow as the market changes. Stevens shares with Editor Nick Wakeman opportunities the company sees on the horizon, including the Asia-Pacific region to health care. The company continues to grow organically and through acquisitions, but Stevens also points to nimbleness and agility as at the center of many key strategic moves.

In this episode of Project 38, Nazzic Keene shares her thoughts and perspective after one year as CEO of Top 100 company Science Applications International Corp. Keene started the year with three priorities and she talks with Editor Nick Wakeman about how those priorities continue to drive the company forward, with some tweaks and adjustments of course. Keene also goes over the integrations of Unisys Federal and Engility, plus how COVID-19 is complicated everything. But through it all, she has guided the company with a focus on people and customers. SAIC has also scored some big wins, both recompetes and takeaways. This conversation explores how to balance the big wins with what she calls the smaller “bread and butter” contract awards.

In this episode of Project 38, we hear from top public sector executives at the 2020 Washington Technology Top 100’s three highest-ranked telecommunications firms on their work to keep government agencies and people connected during the coronavirus pandemic. Almost overnight, the COVID-19 situation created a vast dispersed workforce that sees many people based at home and all of them primarily using the same networks provided by the three largest telecom companies – AT&T, Lumen and Verizon – and others. That shift posed new questions around the networks themselves, cybersecurity and work culture that will last beyond on the end of the pandemic, whenever that is. These conversations with Senior Staff Writer Ross Wilkers reveal more on how the network providers worked with agencies to get ready quickly for a new working world and what that looks like today. Also up for discussion: the technology and business trends already shaping today’s environment that are accelerating and perhaps here to stay. Participants in order of appearance are: • Dave Young, Lumen (formerly CenturyLink Inc.) senior vice president for public sector and global hyperscale cloud • Mike Maiorana, Verizon senior vice president for public sector • Xavier Williams, AT&T president for public sector and the FirstNet public safety network

In our continuing series of Top 100 related podcasts, Serco Inc. CEO Dave Dacquino explains how the company started laying the groundwork years ago for a monster 2019. Last year, Serco Group's U.S. subsidiary posted 20 percent organic growth and closed the $336 million acquisition of the Navy design business of Alion Science & Technology. But getting there required serious soul searching and a focus on changing the company’s culture that relied too much on low-price bids. Those moves helped the company land at No. 34 on the 2020 Washington Technology Top 100 rankings of the largest contractors in the government market. Dacquino and his team continue to look for deficiencies as the company looks to pursue more complex work. He shares with Editor-in-Chief Nick Wakeman how they have done that and is what next for the company.

Rarely does a blue chip defense hardware company close two deals it views as transformational in the same calendar year. In this episode of Project 38, BAE Systems Inc. Tom Arseneault explains the thinking for why the company moved quickly to put its best foot forward for a military GPS business and airborne radio unit formerly of Raytheon Technologies. The British defense company’s U.S. subsidiary has a lot on its agenda right now beyond integrating those acquisitions. Managing through the coronavirus pandemic remains a fluid situation with many moving parts, so Arseneault shares what the subsidiary known as “Inc.” internally has done on the supply chain and workforce front. While it too early to make firm conclusions, Arseneault sounds fairly certain that BAE as a company and the industry as a whole will have a different work cadence and environment in a post-pandemic world. Arseneault shares with Senior Staff Writer Ross Wilkers what BAE has done to take in everything it is learning now, plus how the company thinks about several broad uncertainties hanging over the industry.

In this episode, Roy Stevens, executive vice president and chief of business development and strategy for Leidos, the No. 1 company on the Top 100, shares insights on how Leidos chased two of the biggest contracts of the year. The company pursued and won the $6.5 billion Global Solutions Management Operations contract or GSMO. Leidos was the incumbent on that one. They also successfully challenged the incumbent for the Navy’s $7.7 billion NGEN contract. That contract is still tied up in a protest but it is still worth exploring how Leidos chased that contract.

Companies in the government market always cast glances at the budget, but now they are zeroed in on whether they will see a key piece of legislation to help them manage through the COVID-19 pandemic. In this episode of Project 38, Kea Matory of the National Defense Industrial Association updates us on where the situation is regarding Section 3610 of the CARES Act economic stimulus law that expires Sept. 30. NDIA is one of the major trade groups that represents companies in the government market. As director for legislative policy, Matory tracks developments on Capitol Hill and helps government contractors make sense out of laws and policy that govern the industry. CARES Act Section 3610 lets contractors seek reimbursement from agencies if employees cannot get to their worksite because of a pandemic-caused closure or if COVID-19 directly impacts them. But as Matory explains, there is still ambiguity across industry on how to go through the process and especially if companies are considering the Paycheck Protection Program. Part of that ambiguity is also rooted in how the clock is running down on Section 3610 and where the money comes from. We recorded this episode Wednesday, Aug. 26.

As chief technology officer for Science Applications International Corp., Charles Onstott is constantly looking to understand new technologies and how they can be applied to customer problems. In this episode of Project 38, he explains some myriad ways the COVID-19 pandemic has become a trigger for innovation. The virus is changing how we work, the kind of health care services we need and even the business models government contractors adopt. All of these changes have a technology impact, from how vaccines are developed to the communications infrastructure we need to how data is collected and used. Onstott shares his views on where these trends might be headed and why companies need to be intentional about how they pursue new technologies and find new ways to apply existing tools.

Defense policy expert and attorney Samantha Clark explains the far ranging implications of a new rule that bans agencies from awarding contracts to companies using or selling telecommunications equipment from certain China based companies Clark, special counsel at law firm Covington and Burling, talks with senior staff writer Ross Wilkers to help understand what this new rule means and how government contractors are making sense out of it in this episode of Project 38. A former Senate Armed Services Committee staffer, Clark was a key player in driving the annual passage of the National Defense Authorization Act and this new rule stems from the 2019 edition of the NDAA. Much is still to be determined given how the so-called Section 889 provision is still fresh, but Clark explains how the rule came to be and how GovCon companies will adjust to its implementation.

Reporters from FCW and Washington Technology discuss the latest news including the cancellation of Alliant 2 SB, the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act, and the direction Lockheed Martin's new CEO is taking the company. Ross Wilkers from WT and Lauren Williams and Mark Rockwell from FCW join host Nick Wakeman in a roundtable discussion of the latest news in the market. They dig beyond the headlines and share what stories are on their radar and why those stories are important to the government market.

The continuing acceleration of the COVID-19 pandemic coupled with the simultaneous revival of diversity and social justice movements in the United States can be overwhelming. In this episode of Project 38, we attempt to distill what it all means with the help of Capitol Hill veteran and GovCon community leader Tonya Saunders. Saunders watches how policy sets the environment in which government contractors operate and how events in society often dictate policy as a government relations specialist and advocate for mid-tier firms. She is the founder and head of both Washington Premier Group and Mid-Tier Advocacy. While today’s ongoing events are a lot to take in, Saunders share her professional and personal experiences with Senior Staff Writer Ross Wilkers to help make some sense of what's going on and what the future might hold.

The COVID-19 pandemic has put the defense industrial base through a stress test unlike any other but one that did have some groundwork laid before it. In this episode of Project 38, John Luddy of the Aerospace Industries Association explains what the sector was concerned about before the pandemic and what this national emergency has highlighted. AIA is one of the major trade groups that represents companies in the government market to federal agencies and lawmakers. As its vice president of national security policy, Luddy has his eye not just on member companies but how their government customers and the Defense Department in particular are managing through the crisis. Major questions remain to be answered and the funding environment remains a significant question mark, but Luddy walks us through the items that warrant consideration and what DOD has done so far to support cash-strapped companies in particular.

Deltek's annual Clarity report is a yearly snapshot of the industry that looks at people, processes and best practices in the government contracting industry. But in the midst of a pandemic that has turned the world of contractors and customers upside down, the report offers an opportunity to focus on what companies can do to improve and how they compare to their peers. Editor-in-Chief Nick Wakeman talks with Amy Champigny, Deltek’s senior product marketing manager and leader of the annual Clarity effort. She shares key takeaways from the report and areas of opportunity for the industry such as human capital strategies, how data can drive better decisions and IT and business development trends.

The conversation about diversity in the national security and overall public sector ecosystem goes through peaks and troughs, and the past month would certainly qualify as a peak period. Get a glimpse at how talk and action go hand-in-hand in this episode of Project 38 with Maggie Feldman-Piltch, founder and CEO of #NatSecGirlSquad. Feldman-Piltch lives and breathes the subject of what she and the consulting and networking firm call “competent diversity” and leadership to make that happen. Competent diversity to them means building a national security and defense workforce that is more resilient, capable and agile. Guidehouse worked with the Squad on a survey released earlier this year to ask members about the challenges they face in entering, working in and leading in national security. Feldman-Piltch discusses with Senior Staff Writer Ross Wilkers some of the broader trends and findings that illuminate what is happening on the ground floor, plus how to turn the conversation into action.

Successful companies have always had closely-aligned sales and marketing teams, but the coronavirus pandemic has disrupted the usual way of doing business, creating a significant challenge across the market. Allan Rubin, head of marketing at ORock Technology and recognized expert in the field, shares how sales and marketing teams can stay aligned in a world where traditional activities such as live events and in-person networking have fallen to the wayside as everything has shifted to digital and virtual interactions. ​Alignment is critical for survival in today's market. In this interview, Rubin describes how teams need to collaborate and communicate as they make their way forward in this changing environment.

David Berteau sees the myriad ways the coronavirus pandemic from his perch as President and CEO of the Professional Services Council. In this episode of the Project 38 podcast, Berteau shares his thoughts on the health of the market and where it could go from here. PSC is the leading voice of government services companies to federal agencies and lawmakers. Those firms' services cover a broad swath of the market and as such, the impact of the pandemic has ranged greatly from company to company. But one common thread they all share has been how to manage the impact on employees. Major questions still remain to be answered and Berteau reviews these as the market looks at how it will arrive at a new normal and when that might be.

How do the widely-reported disruptions in global IT supply chains caused by COVID-19 impact both the federal government and its leading systems integrators? We take an “outside-in” approach to finding some answers in this episode with Michael Hong and Jeff Sorensen of Kearney’s public sector practice. Why call it “outside-in” for this conversation? Federal agencies and their largest IT product and service providers all rely on the same supply chain network, one way or another, all the way from basic materials to the bundled solutions that integrators are responsible for providing. The COVID-19 crisis is causing a rethink of approaches to supply chain management and sourcing. Given Kearney’s work with both commercial and public sector organizations, Hong and Sorensen both hear the questions their clients are asking and provide some possible answers that others are discovering. They also share some perspectives on how enterprises have bolstered their IT investments and what that means for the virtual workplace of today/tomorrow.

Three reporters from Washington Technology and our sibling publication FCW.com share insights on the impact the COVID-19 pandemic is having on business, policy and work in the government market. Washington Technology Senior Staff Writer Ross Wilkers, and FCW reporters Lia Russell and Lauren Williams have focused their coverage on the myriad ways the pandemic is reshaping the marketplace. But each brings a unique perspective. Russell is focused on workforce issues. Wilkers has been writing about how contractors are reacting. While Williams is focused on the Defense Department and how its operations are adapting. In this conversation with Washington Technology Editor Nick Wakeman, the three share what they’ve learned and what think will happen next as the marketplace slowly makes its way to a new normal.

A glance at what the pre-coronavirus world looked like for federal agencies quickly brings technology modernization back to the forefront, and that is where we pick up for this second of a two-part interview with ICF CEO John Wasson. The federal government’s priorities are obviously centered around the pandemic today, innovation in terms of both new technology and business practices were top of mind for many agencies before that shift in attention. In this part two, Wasson and Senior Staff Writer Ross Wilkers transition their conversation from the ongoing crisis to the IT modernization agenda that includes the move to what are known as “low code, no code” platforms. Wasson explains the role those technologies play in innovation and how the firm sees its work with highly-regulated commercial clients as a natural bridge to the company’s federal programs.

The COVID-19 pandemic is raising several wide-ranging questions and implications for both government agencies and the industry that supports them, which we examine in this first of a two-part interview with ICF CEO John Wasson. Public health has also been brought to the forefront in ways rarely, if ever seen before, and is an area ICF is heavily involved in thanks to its work with many agencies on the front lines of the pandemic response. Think Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and National Institutes of Health. In this part one, Wasson shares his views to Senior Staff Writer Ross Wilkers on what this crisis means for the country’s public health ecosystem going forward and how an event such as this could lead to a very different way of responding to future pandemics. They started by talking about ICF and other professional services firms like it maintain their connections with federal customers in a world where so many have shifted to remote work.

The government market along with the rest of the country continues to be rocked by the COVID-19 pandemic. We explore how industry is responding and how it will be changed going forward in this conversation with Stan Soloway, former president and CEO of the Professional Services Council. Soloway now consults with companies across the market. From that perch. he has unique insights into what many executives are thinking and the strategic moves they are contemplating once we emerge from the crisis. Soloway also shares the immediate concerns he sees and what might happen as the shift to more long-term thinking begins. That includes the impact on pre-COVID-19 trends of IT modernization and cloud computing adoption, as well as what company leaders are learning from the current crisis.

In another podcast from our partner Government Marketing University, the Real Talk explores the $2 trillion stimulus package and what it means to federal contractors. Tom Suder, president and founder of the Advanced Technology Research Center, and host Matt Langan of L&R Communication review how this sweeping legislation is impacting the market. They talk about questions such as: • What does the $2T Coronavirus stimulus mean for federal employees and contractors? • Can all federal agencies benefit? Are there key areas focused on Civilian, DoD, Intel? • Breaking down the IT portion of the stimulus package a bit more…what areas will industry see the most need from federal agencies? • Are there any agencies that have jumped in and accelerate connecting with government industry to maximize this new funding? • How prepared is industry to respond quickly to this new demand for IT related support? • What are the key takeaways for government industry to be aware of when it comes to stimulus package?

What does a “whole of government” approach mean in terms of how agencies and their industry partners respond to the COVID-19 pandemic? Find out in this episode with Jerry McGinn, executive director of George Mason University’s Center for Government Contracting. That response is not just about where the contracting dollars are going, though McGinn and the GMU GovCon team are tracking that closely. It is also about how the entire public sector ecosystem of agencies and government contractors are functioning today and how that is shaping what the environment looks like for the long-term in a post-COVID world. McGinn formerly led the Defense Department’s Office of Manufacturing and Industrial Base Policy and before that worked in industry himself. No one can exactly predict the future, but McGinn does share some of the broader questions and trends he thinks will be a big part of that future. This episode was recorded before the Senate’s Tuesday passage of the latest CARES Act relief legislation and the GMU GovCon Center’s most recent executive update that was released Wednesday.

In this Real Talk podcast from our partner GMarkU, we explore TIC 3.0, which was released in December, and what it means for the government market. Trusted Internet Connection 3.0 will have a broad impact on the market and this podcast examines TIC 3.0 from the basics to the pain points agencies face. Tom Suder, president and founder of the Advanced Technology Research Center, and host Matt Langan of L&R Communications share their expertise on a topic that will have an impact across the market.

Get a glimpse at how the business of government contracting has shifted to a different pace and cadence amid the COVID-19 pandemic in this episode with Amber Hart and Lisa Shea Mundt, the founders in charge at market intelligence firm The Pulse of GovCon. With some exceptions, much of the world has shifted to a largely stay-at-home setup that is causing both government contractors and their agency customers to think and collaborate in different ways with much of their personnel working remotely. With their business development and proposal consultant hats on, Hart and Mundt share insights into how GovCon firms and agencies have made that shift and what that looks like now in terms of daily operations. Hart and Mundt also have their eyes on where federal dollars are going as part of the overall COVID-19 response and have important words of wisdom every business should take heed of before looking to position for that funding.

The coronavirus response has elevated several legal issues for government contractors. In this episode, contracts attorney James Fontana highlights where legal issues can arise and how contractors should be proactive in protecting their business and employees. Fontana, co-founder and managing partner of the firm Dempsey-Fontana, has been a contracts lawyer for three decades and understands the legal exposure and risks contractors face in an ever changing environment. He talks to Editor Nick Wakeman about how COVID-19 and the response to it are creating new challenges for government contractors, from understanding customer requirements to working from home to the need to communicate.

The challenges and risks faced by small business government contractors are severe. They face possible work stoppages, slower payments, layoffs, and the threat of bankruptcy. Bruce Lyman is the CEO of Parabilis, a firm that works with government contractors on getting financing. He talks with Senior Staff Writer Ross Wilkers about the challenges small businesses face and what can be done to support them. The economic impact of widespread small business failures is great, but there are steps the government is taking. Lyman explains what is being done and other tools the government could use to help small firms.

Alba Aleman, Citizant CEO and recognized small business advocate, explains that small businesses should embrace the Defense Department's new cybersecurity requirements for contractors as both a way of differentiating themselves and path to being a stronger organization instead of seeing it as a burden. In fact, Aleman believes the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification standard should have been made mandatory years ago. For this episode, she explains how her company approaches CMMC as a quality issue and one that will have benefits across of all of Citizant. It's an example both large and small businesses can follow.

Explore the impact of COVID-19 on the GovCon supply chain in Senior Staff Writer Ross Wilkers' interview with Chris Meissner, founding partner with the 202 Group, a data analytics and market intelligence firm. Meissner's firm specializes in using rich analytics tools to examine tech trends and develop competitive intelligence, particularly around the supply chain. There are still a lot of unknowns, but Meissner explains the areas to pay attention to as the market moves forward.

Many of us are practicing social distancing as the world deals with the coronavirus pandemic: either with being hunkered down at home or in offices that are very sparsely populated. It’s a different way of working that all of us are adjusting to. That also means many are working with little to no face-to-face contact with customers and partners. Marketing expert Mark Amtower shares how social media tools can build and enrich those critical relationships even when you can't be in the same place.

There is plenty for contractors to do as the coronavirus turns the market and world on its collective head. Business development and capture expert Lisa Pafe offers advice and insights on what actions you should take as COVID 19 causes delays and postponements. All of us are facing a market that has been significantly disrupted because of the pandemic. The normal course of business looks very different, but that doesn't mean the work comes to a halt. Pafe, a Washington Technology columnist and vice president of Lohfeld Consulting, has over 25 years of business development and capture management experience. Here, she offers practical advice on concrete actions you should be taking today.

A matchmaker in the government market must be an intermediary that possesses a deep understanding of two key items: what customers are asking for, and the companies whose capabilities might fill that need. Stephanie Alexander and Katie Bilek are the matchmakers at Govmates where they blend art and algorithm to connect customers and companies. In this podcast interview with Senior Staff Writer Ross Wilkers, they share the perspective they’ve gained from their unique perch in the market, including views on non-traditional players, small business challenges and what differentiation really means.

The month of February started with a bang with several important news stories breaking within days of each other, including big news from Leidos, SAIC and the CIA. Leidos closed a $1 billion acquisition and then announced another deal just as big. The next day the Navy picked them for the $7.7 billion NGEN award, a takeaway from the incumbent , Perspecta. Not to be outdone, SAIC announced their own deal, a $1.2 billion acquisition of Unisys Federal. And that deal will fundamentally change how SAIC goes to market. That's enough news for one week but we also had the release of the final CMMC standards, AECOM completed its spin-off of Amentum, PAE went public, Huntington Ingalls signed a $350 million deal to buy marine robotic developer Hydroid, and, finally, the CIA released the draft solicitation for its multi-billion cloud contract, Commercial Cloud Enterprise. And just to add a little more color, Amazon Web Services filed a request to depose President Trump and others as part of its protest battle over the JEDI cloud contract. Catching their breath, Editor Nick Wakeman and Senior Staff Writer Ross Wilkers give their take on what all this news means and what they see ahead in the market.

The defense market is gearing up for the CMMC requirement but a lot of unanswered questions remain. Here's what we know so far and what to watch for in the weeks ahead. FCW defense beat writer Lauren Williams shares insights from her coverage of CMMC, including what challenges the Defense Department is trying to address. Contractors need to watch for several things including development of the first contracts with CMMC requirements, the creation of third-party assessors and how to get subcontractors into compliance. Our conversation with Williams sheds light on this issues and more as the market moves forward.

What does it take to build a ship when you don’t own a shipyard? Leidos executive Donnelly Bohan explains the technology, strategy and success behind the company’s Sea Hunter project to build an autonomous Navy vessel. Senior Staff Writer Ross Wilkers interviews Bohan about how Leidos has grown the program and how the broader conversation over the technology has shifted from the word "unmanned" to "autonomous." There really is a difference. The Navy eyes increases in spending on vessels with no sailors or submariners, and Bohan shares her company’s strategy to grow in this market.

Disney World has embraced big data and the internet of things as tools to improve its operations and its efforts offer lessons to the public sector. David Turner, president and CEO of Hitachi Vantara Federal shares how the company helps the resort to gather and use the reams of data it collects from rides, operations and visitors to enhance the park experience. This is no Mickey Mouse endeavor and it offers plenty of lessons for the public sector, from the Defense Department and how it manages military facilities to civilian agencies that are addressing a wide range of constituent needs. In this conversation with Editor Nick Wakeman, Turner shares what his company has been doing and why the government should pay attention to what's going on at the Magic Kingdom and beyond.

Washington Technology Editor Nick Wakeman and Senior Staff Writer Ross Wilkers review the major events of 2019 and discuss what they see ahead. This includes M&A activity, the impact of a fully appropriated budget and what JEDI, DEOS and C2E really say about where the market is headed.

JEDI was a blockbuster award to Microsoft as they bested Amazon Web Services but don't call it an upset. In fact, many systems integrators are giving it a simple shrug of the shoulders because the winner really wasn't that critical for them. Most SIs work with both Microsoft and AWS so they saw an opportunity to support JEDI no matter who won. Wilkers and Wakeman also discuss protests and Oracle's continuing fight against JEDI. And then there is the mergers and acquisition activity which remains strong. The pair discuss what these activities mean and what's next as we head into the final weeks of 2019.

Executives from Dovel Technologies share why the company is going through a leadership transition and what it says about their growth strategy. Dovel is moving into the next phase of its growth, the type of change many companies find challenging. Often the skills that got you to one level of success aren't the same ones that will get you to the next. Something has to give. Dovel's Paul Lesley talks about why he moved from CEO to executive chairman and new CEO Damon Griggs shares what's next for the rapidly growing midtier contractor.

The history of IT innovation can be divided into several eras (mainfraime, PC, the Web, etc.) and SAIC Chief Technology Officer Charles Onstott explains what era we are in now and what might be coming next. In our conversation we talk about the current era of MACC (you'll need to listen to learn what that is) and how there’s a possibility that IT might not be the primary driver of innovation going forward. It’ll still play a critical role but other technologies will drive change as well. The challenge is keeping up. Your success will depend on it.

General Dynamics IT Chief Technology Officer Yogesh Khanna talks about how cloud computing and the push for cybersecurity are fundamentally changing the market and what systems integrators delivering to customers. Senior Staff Writer Ross Wilkers conducts his third interview with a senior defense executive about how the sector is going through a period of great disruption. For Khanna, cloud and cyber are only the beginning. In fact, cloud doesn't really matter. It is what you deliver on the cloud. In other words, the mission and that is why cybersecurity is at the heart of what customers are demanding.

Senior Staff Writer Ross Wilkers speaks with Peder Jungck, BAE Systems Inc. vice president and general manager for intelligence solutions, about how technology is remaking the defense market and what it'll take to win the future. This is the second in a series of interviews by Wilkers with defense executives about how the market is changing and how their companies are adapting. Critical issues include the pressure to manage data and extract value from it, the evolving role of the systems integrator, and how to track emerging commercial technologies.

In this episode, Senior Staff Writer Ross Wilkers interviews Raytheon’s Dave Wajsgras about the transformation that is occurring across the defense market and how Raytheon is disrupting itself. Disruption and transformation are common themes across the defense sector and Wajsgras shares what it means to Raytheon, including the impact of the pending acquisition of United Technology Corp.’s defense and aerospace businesses. This is the first in a series of interviews with defense industry executives as they discuss the changes occurring across the market.

We talk to Mark Testoni, CEO of SAP NS2 , about how even without an award yet JEDI has been a force in the market and points the way to more disruption. Traditional government contractors and their customers are increasing their embrace of commercial technologies but there is still more to do. And all of this is laying the foundation for more disruption when 5G gains momentum and ushers in a new era of innovation and change in the market.

SOS International is celebrating its 30th birthday this week but has its sights set well beyond that milestone for the family-owned and family-run contractor. In this Project 38 episode, CEO Julian Setian tells us what he sees the company's next 30 years looking like as the market keeps changing. While the company looks back with pride on its first 30 years, there are no plans to slow down as the company continues to evolve and find new opportunities for growth.

In this episode of Project 38, Editor Nick Wakeman and Senior Staff Writer Ross Wilkers discuss some of the major stories they've been tracking, from JEDI to the M&A activity that has been reshaping the market. Wakeman and Wilkers offer their perspective what the major deals such as L3 and Harris Corp. and Raytheon and United Technologies. They also discuss JEDI, DEOS and what the annual fourth quarter spending spree is revealing about trends in the market.

Silicon Valley has long been seen as the bread basket of commercial technology but a new book by Margaret O'Mara traces the Valley's roots to major investments by the federal government following World War II. Listen to our conversation with O'Mara as she recounts some of the lessons learned and why the relationship may ebb and flow but it'll never fade away. While the amounts of money in research grants and contract spending was important, the greater impact was on how the government spent those funds that helped foster an environment of innovation and entrepreneurship. Her book explains how the companies and technologies developed but also the people and relationships that drove the tech world forward. Today, we face a different world but what the government needs from the Valley and what the Valley wants from the government have never been more critical to national security and economic growth.

Chuck Harrington, chairman and CEO of Parsons, shares the strategy behind their move to the public market after years as an employee-owned company. In our conversation, he talks about the IPO process but also why it was important to make that move for the company as it targets more growth in the federal market. The company has been active acquirer in recent years and the pubic offering only adds more fuel for Parsons to make deals. Harrington shares this and more in a conversation with Senior Staff Writer Ross Wilkers.