Enhanced government-industry connections a key focus at DLA’s Industry Collider Day

ALEXANDRIA, Va. -

The Defense Logistics Agency is looking to solve many of its sustainment challenges by tapping into the innovation ecosystem that's led primarily by commercial industry, the director said Sept. 10 during the fifth annual Industry Collider Day.

"DLA must embrace the speed of commercial technology, managing the accompanying risk, but also exploiting the inherent opportunities," Army Lt. Gen. Mark Simerly said, adding that the agency is aggressively expanding relationships with concept developers, prototyping organizations, national laboratories, and its partners and allies.

The event's theme, "Shaping Small Business Alliances for Global Supply Chain Resiliency," showcases the importance of government-industry 'partnerships,' one of four imperatives included in DLA's new 2025-2030 Strategic Plan.

"DLA serves as an interlocutor for industry as we help translate the military services' warfighting requirements," Simerly said. "Our reliance on industry has always been foundational to our role in joint logistics."

Industry Collider Day was first conceived to bring industry's ingenuity to the agency, said DLA Research and Development Director David Koch. This year, DLA R&D focused on finding new ways to invigorate the defense industrial base through small businesses that make up a large percentage of DLA's suppliers.

DLA Chief Information Officer Adarryl Roberts echoed the need for business partnerships to improve agency capabilities, including its digitalization efforts.

Digitalization is crucial in transforming how DLA manages its supply chains and sustains a competitive advantage, he said. He added that it will help the agency be more predictive in demand planning and forecasting so it's ready for the next conflict.

"It's about creating a digital framework to be more efficient because I will tell you consistently that while technology is an enabler, it will not drive us on our own," he continued. "Industry must understand our mission, our problem sets and match the best technology solutions to those challenges."

Strengthening government-industry ties

Daniele Kurze, DLA's executive director for small business programs, led a panel with participants from the Defense Department's APEX Accelerator program, the Small Business Administration, DLA's Small Business Innovation Research program and industry. The group explored ways to better prepare defense companies for future trends and potential challenges.

Demystifying DLA's contracting processes is a challenge for vendors, Koch acknowledged, so event organizers created breakout sessions to help overcome those obstacles.

These included "contracting pathways" panels with DLA procurement specialists discussing available contracting opportunities and experts from DOD, DLA and SBA highlighting mentor protégé programs, which helps small businesses successfully compete for prime contracts by partnering them with large businesses under project-based agreements.

Industry leaders also participated in a session on Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification, a DOD program to enforce protection of sensitive unclassified information shared with contractors. The group looked at the impact of CMMC and provided tips for its fellow vendor community.

A "knowledge bar" run by DLA R&D program managers educated attendees on agency priorities and challenges, while one-on-one sessions among industry and experts from APEX, SBA, mentor protégé programs and CMMC provided opportunities for tailored dialogue.

DOD, DLA, federal government and industry representatives manned booths to discuss their programs and partnership opportunities, and previously scheduled matchmaker meetings allowed vendors to discuss select technology solicitations with R&D experts.

"The goal of these sessions is to improve conversations between industry and government with actionable guidance and ways forward," DLA R&D Deputy Director Martina Johnson said. "We are always looking for ways to develop and deliver new capabilities to enhance warfighter sustainment."

Awarding 10 small business contracts

DLA Vice Director Brad Bunn and George Atwood, deputy director of DLA Acquisition, concluded the morning sessions by presenting 10 contracts awarded through DLA's SBIR program. The program helps startups and small businesses bridge the gap from research and development to market-ready products.

Awards were given to small businesses that responded to solicitations for proposals in four areas. The agency received 180 proposals for contracts collectively worth just under $1 million.

The first solicitation was for research to expand production of scandium-containing material. These alloys have superior damage tolerance compared to current industry standard alloys and can extend the operational life of fixed and rotary wing aircraft with on-demand printing of replacement parts. This reduces lifecycle costs and extends mission capability.

Awards went to Quadrus Advanced Manufacturing, LLC of Huntsville, Alabama; Valimet, Inc. of Stockton, California; and Terves, LLC of Euclid, Ohio.

Logic of Newton, Massachusetts, and Cybernet Systems Corp. of Ann Arbor, Michigan, were given awards to help DLA warehouses test autonomous technologies. The goal is to examine how robotics can increase productivity, improve worker satisfaction, reduce injuries and lower operating costs to distribute material more efficiently.

Quantum Research Sciences of Lafayette, Indiana, and Rapid Global Business Solutions, Inc. of Fairborn, Ohio, each received an award to research the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning to help identify DOD equipment and support parts at risk of becoming obsolete. This proactive approach will help inform DLA decisions about sustainment, modernization and lifecycle management to ensure mission readiness.

The last three companies - Corsha, Inc. of Vienna, Virginia; ATC-NY of Trumansburg, New York; and Sentar, Inc. of Huntsville, Alabama - were given awards to study the use of digital twins with zero trust, which involves accurate virtual representations of physical objects. The purpose is to protect digital twins, physical machines and other critical technology from cyberattacks through continuous verification, least privilege access, and network segmentation.

"This event is an outstanding opportunity to connect industry with requirement owners and program managers to understand DLA's requirements, which may be representative of the joint logistics enterprise," Bunn said. "This will help us solve challenges in our procurement, engineering and technology sectors in what has become a priority for us, operating in a contested environment."

Public link

Please use the above public link if you want to share this noodl on another website.