Defense Business Alert

The Pentagon is moving forward with plans to score defense companies on cybersecurity, similar to measuring credit scores, as one Defense Department official says DOD's current efforts regarding contractor cybersecurity are not sufficient.

The number of new vendors joining the federal contracting market as prime contractors grew from 2001 to 2006, but then sharply decreased from 2007 to 2013, according to a report by the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

CACI International said this week it has agreed to acquire LGS Innovations as well as Mastodon Design for a total of $975 million.

The Pentagon wants to negotiate a solution for software rights allowing contractors to maintain their intellectual property and profit incentives, while also allowing for more open sharing of software capabilities and development across weapon systems, according to a Defense Department advisor.

The Pentagon is directing its acquisition workforce to better assess and enforce contractors' compliance with cybersecurity requirements, as officials are particularly concerned about adversaries stealing sensitive data from companies further down the supply chain.

Though Science Applications International Corp. fell short in pursuing two major military vehicle programs, the company's chief executive told Inside Defense he would not have changed the company's technical approach.

The Pentagon is seeking ideas for how it can incentivize better performance from defense contractors after a controversial proposal to reduce customary progress payments was quashed last year.

Textron Systems is looking to its purchase of ground robotics company Howe and Howe as well as more focused independent research and development spending to help it grow, Lisa Atherton, the unit's president, told reporters today.

Serco's chief executive, on the job for about a year and a half, is seeking to convince the Pentagon to turn to technology in its services contracts rather than just focus on price.